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THE SMALL SYSTEMS JOURNAL 



ROBOTICS 



JANUARY 1986 VOL. 11, NO. 1 



$3.50 IN UNITED STATES 

$4.25 IN CANADA / £2.10 IN U.K. 

A McGRAW-HILL PUBLICATION 

0360-5280 





T?OBER- 



65 UNNEY 



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Tliriv> Pascal and "nirbo Uiior are rcgisu p red trademarks and TUrbo DataBase 

Turbo (iraphtx Toolbox. Turbo Editor Toolbox, Turlx) GameVferks, 
and MicroStar are trademarks of Borland International. Inc. WordStar is a 
trademark of MicroPro International Corp Mulli Male is a trademark of Mul 
timate International Corp Microsoft is a registered trademark and Word Is .* 
trademark of Microsoft Corp WordPerfect is a trademark of Satellite Sofa 
ImemauonaJ. 



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IT'S ALL YOU NEED TO BUILD YOUR OWN WORD PROCESSOR 
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• You get a 200-page manual that tells 
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Because Borland doesn't believe you should pay 
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And until March 1, 1986 you can get Bor- 
land's new Turbo Editor Toolbox for even less! 
(Only $47.50 when you buy the special Turbo 
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YOU CAN HAVE MANY WINDOWS ON 
THE WORLD. The new Turbo Editor Toolbox 
features windowing, a technique that lets you 
see several documents — or several parts of the 
same document — at once. You know best what 
your needs are. Turbo Editor Toolbox lets you 
open the windows you want And to make 
those windows part of your program. 

WITH TURBO EDITOR TOOLBOX YOU 
CAN HAVE THE BEST OF ALL WORD 
PROCESSORS IN YOUR WORD PRO- 
CESSOR. You can make WordStar behave 
like Multi-Mate. Support windows just like 
Microsoft's® Word™ And do it as fast as 
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THE CRITICS' CHOICE 




"Turbo Pascal has got to be the best value in lan- 




guages on the market today— and Borland Interna- 
tional, by delivering excellent products at reasona- 
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has to go Turbo Pascal is more than just a good 




program at a low cost It's also a low-cost, well- 




conceived programming language making it possi- 
ble for lots of people to produce good programs." 
Jerry Pournelle, BYTE 




'"litis compiler, produced by Borland International, 
is one of the best programming tools presently 
available for the PC." 


V^_^-^--«ik 


Michael Covington, PC Tech Journal 




"Language deal of the century... Turbo Pascal." 
Jeff Duntemann, PC Magazine 




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Go-Moku, also known as "Five-in-Line," is a 
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It's an intriguing game. But you're not 
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Bridge. Play bridge with a friend or team up 
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Now you get the whole Turbo Pascal family, 
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combines an integrated 
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teaches you step-by-step how to 
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^^^^^^^m gives you all the 
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^^^^^E|S3 g ives y° u a com_ 
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and graphics window management 

fen&S) —Chess, Bridge, Go-Moku. 
rets and strategies of state-of-the-art com- 
puter games are revealed with complete 
'ce code. 

— the Pascal modules 
that let you build your own word processor. A 
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State: 

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■^BSBo^^na, 



CONTENTS 




82 




158 



FEATURES 



Introduction 82 

Product Description: The Atari 520ST 

by )on R. Edwards. Phillip Robinson, and Brenda Mclaughlin 84 

The company's latest venture is a competitive 68000 system. 

Ciarcias Circuit Cellar: Build an Analog-to-Digital Converter 

by Steve Ciarcia 104 

Steve returns to this topic with a state-of-the-art converter. 

Product Preview: Q&A by }on R. Edwards 120 

This software package combines word processing and file management with a full macro 
facility and an effective natural-language interface. 

Programming Project: A SIMPL Compiler, 

Part 2: Procedures and Functions by Jonathan Amsterdam 130 

Procedures and functions are useful but can be difficult to compile. 

Creating Reusable Modules by Namir Clement Shammas 145 

You can lower programming costs and increase reliability with the strategy described. 

Programming Insight: Easy 3-D Graphics by Henning Mittelbach 153 

Develop three-dimensional graphics on the IBM Personal Computer, the Macintosh, 
and the Apple II family. 



THEMES 



Introduction 158 

Machine Vision by Phil Dunbar 161 

Despite various obstacles, vision-system hardware continues to develop. 

Robotic Tactile Sensing by Kirk E. Pennywitt 177 

For robots to achieve widespread use. they must be equipped with sophisticated sensory 
capabilities 

Multiple Robotic Manipulators 

by I. Scott Hawker. R. N. Nagel Richard Roberts, and Nicholas G. Odrey 203 

Coordinating two robots isn't as easy as it sounds. 

Autonomous Robot Navigation 

by Charles )orgensen. William Hamel. and Charles VJeisbin 223 

Three robotics researchers discuss the art of teaching robots to look before they leap. 

AI in Computer Vision by }ohn L. Cuadrado and Clara Y. Cuadrado 237 

A simple system demonstrates the role artificial intelligence may play in advanced 
computer-vision systems. 

Automation in Organic Synthesis by Gary W. Kramer and Philip L. Fuchs 263 

If automation is to come to organic chemistry, it must be flexible enough 
to allow facile reconfigurations. 



REVIEWS 



Introduction 288 

Reviewer's Notebook by Glenn Hartwig 291 



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BYTE • JANUARY 1986 



COVER PAINTING BY ROBERT TINNEY 




anuan 



VOLUME 11, NUMBER I, 1986 



Canon's A-200 by Peter V. Callamaras . 293 

It's compatible with IBM's PC, and it has room to grow. 

Color Fox by )ohn D. Unger 301 

Scottsdale Systems soups up a Sanyo. 

Eco-C88 C Compiler by David D. Clark 307 

An inexpensive package for MS-DOS machines. 

Inside The Sider by Douglas E. Hall 319 

A hard disk for the Apple \\+ and lie. 

Advantage! for the AT by TJ Byers 327 

One way to add memory and I/O ports. 

Enable by Steve King 331 

Integrated software for IBM PCs. 

Review Feedback 344 

Readers respond to previous reviews. 



KERNEL 



Introduction 346 

Computing at Chaos Manor: One Minor Problem by \erry Pournelle 349 

Hey what's one minor problem? Time in and find out. 

Chaos Manor Mail conducted by jerry Pournelle 366 

jerry's readers write, and he replies. 

According to Webster: Benchmarking by Bruce Webster 371 

Finding himself settled in Utah. Bruce talks about benchmarks and makes some predictions. 

BYTE Japan-. Favoring Kanji by William M. Raike 381 

Bill reports on the NEC computers, a Japanese version of the Macintosh, 
and the new Fujitsu lap-size portable. 

BYTE U.K.: The Acorn RISC Machine by Dick Pountain 387 

Our U.K. correspondent reports on a commercial RISC processor. 

Mathematical Recreations: Euclid's Algorithm by Robert T. Kurosaka 397 

Learn how to convert repeating decimals to fractions. 

Circuit Cellar Feedback conducted by Steve Garcia 403 

Steve answers project-related queries from readers. 



Editorial: 
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Microbytes 9 

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288 




346 



section art by rob colvin 



JANUARY 1986 -BYTE 3 



Inquiry 343 

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m 



4 BYTE • JANUARY 1986 



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Wintek Corporation inquiry 384 

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EDITORIAL 



A Threat to Future Software 

Last October Digital Research Inc. yielded 
to pressure from Apple and agreed to 
change its GEM software to decrease its 
resemblance to Apple Macintosh soft- 
ware. (GEM is an operating environment 
for several MS-DOS- and PC-DOS-based 
computers that allows a user to interact 
with a computer via windows and icons 
rather than the usual text-only commands.) 
Let's ignore, for the moment, the uncer- 
tain worth of a "visual copyright" (the legal 
term for Apple's copyrighting of the over- 
all "look" of Macintosh software). Let's 
also ignore the ethics of Apple's actions. 
The point to focus on, instead, is that Apple's ac- 
tions are to no one's benefit: Both the micro- 
computer industry and Apple itself will 
suffer from their effects. 

Apple's actions will slow the growth of 
the microcomputer industry, which will 
hurt Apple by shrinking the potential 
microcomputer audience. Already, several 
small companies are worried that some 
project they're working on (and, often, 
they with it) will be cut down because it 
is "too Mac-like." In addition, the success 
of Apple's tactics may encourage other 
companies to try similar actions, thus in- 
creasing the paralysis and anxiety in the 
industry. 

These actions will stifle the incremental 
evolution that is at the root of any signifi- 
cant growth in our industry. By "incre- 
mental evolution" I mean the process of 
gradual improvement of a product type 
that eventually leads to a more robust, 
useful product. For example, Ashton- 
late's Framework did not spring full-blown 
from the heads of the programming team 
at Forefront. It had its roots in Dan 
Bricklin's and Bob Franston's VisiCalc 
spreadsheet, Sorcim's Supercalc (which 
added functions and sold to a market not 
supported by VisiCalc), Mitch Kapor's 
VisiPlot (which gave the distinctive high- 
lighted menu bar now used in so many pro- 
grams), the software integration of Lotus 
1-2-3, and the icons, windows, and pull- 
down menus of— well, you get the point. 
If companies are afraid to go to market 
with what they think are incremental— but 
distinct— improvements on a basic design, 
we will become a stagnant industry 
bounded by the usual and comfortable. 



According to Irving Rappaport. Apple's 
associate general counsel, Apple's intent 
is to prevent other companies from 
creating products that are easy to use 
because of their similarity to the Macin- 
tosh. "If people look at it and say, 'Gee. 
that's like the Mac— I can operate that,' 
when that's the result you get, it's over the 
line" of infringement of Apple's copyrights. 
The effect of this intent is to fragment the 
industry in the face of what was becom- 
ing a de facto standard for human-com- 
puter interaction. This lack of standardiza- 
tion will cause many people to stay un- 
interested in computers because they will 
have to relearn basic skills with each brand 
of computer they encounter. (Imagine how 
many people would drive cars if car manu- 
facturers used different controls for every 
function in the car.) 

Apple might argue that, by claiming a 
larger slice of a smaller pie, it will still 
come out ahead. We believe that it will be 
hurt directly by its actions and will end up 
with a smaller piece of a pie that is itself 
smaller. Apple will, in effect, build a wall 
around its ghetto of Macintosh products, 
thus limiting its own growth and encourag- 
ing people to "live" elsewhere. 

Texas Instruments' TI-99/4A provides a 
good example. TI announced that it in- 
tended to directly profit from all software 
written for its machine by forcing third- 
party software developers to publish their 
products through TI. When a brave. few 
brought out 99/4 cartridges on their own. 
TI added a proprietary chip to their car- 
tridges that the computer required before 
it would run the enclosed software. Need- 
less to say, the few developers working on 
99/4 software wisely turned to support 
other computers. 

The same may happen to Apple. IBM 
already sells over half the business com- 
puters bought today, and IBM PC-compat- 
ibles account for a fairly large slice of 
what's left. If Apple has been slowing the 
erosion of its market share to IBM with the 
Macintosh line (and I think it has), its cur- 
rent moves will alienate software and hard- 
ware developers, who will begin to lavish 
their creativity upon the more congenial 
IBM PC-compatible marketplace. And where 
innovation goes, the market will follow. 

Consider: IBM made its software and 



hardware architectures open. It allowed 
the development of innumerable hard- 
ware clones, many far more similar to IBM 
products than GEM is to the Macintosh 
desktop; consequently, the IBM PC-com- 
patible market far outdistanced its com- 
bined competitors in less than two years. 
On the other hand, Apple is actively dis- 
couraging not only copying but also bor- 
rowing from its software design. It claims 
the sole right to benefit from a set of ideas 
that Apple itself has borrowed and im- 
proved on (the most direct borrowing was 
from work done at Xerox PARC). Given 
these two opposing directions, what do 
you think will happen? 

A Call to Action 

We at BYTE call on Apple to recognize the 
long-term implications of its actions and 
limit itself to prosecuting cases where the 
alleged theft is not of "looks" but of ac- 
tual program code. Barring that, we call 
on Apple to license its allegedly copyright- 
able interface to markets that do not 
directly compete with its current or 
planned product line— if the licensing fees 
are reasonable, everyone will profit. 

If neither of these things happen, we call 
on the judicial system to hand down rul- 
ings that reflect a strict interpretation of 
the visual copyright laws— that is. that a 
product is at fault only if it shows no dis- 
tinguishing characteristics in appearance 
or operation from the alleged original; this 
would protect products that show incre- 
mental evolution. We also call on the in- 
dustry to do two things. The first is to 
stand up to Apple and see the case de- 
cided on its legal merits. The second is to 
develop an alternative graphic interface 
and allow its wide adoption throughout 
the non-Apple computer community; in 
this way. the rest of us can get on with the 
business of making computers— in 
general— good enough that everyone will 
want to use them. 

[Editor's note: Apple maintains that the agree- 
ment covers "only three specific products',' but one 
of them is GEM Desktop, which defines the overall 
GEM environment. Also, according to Kathleen 
Dixon of Apple, the agreement includes any custom 
work DRI has done, including the modified GEM 
software that Atari uses in its 520ST computer] ■ 
—Gregg Williams, Senior Technical Editor 



BYTE • JANUARY 1986 



Maxell Corp. of America, 60 Oxford Drive, Moonachie, NJ 07074 












W 1 1 


TIB 


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FLOPPY DISKS 
THE GOLD STANDARD 

Inquiry 228 



SmarTerm 220 software makes 
DEC terminals obsolete! 



You don't need a DEC terminal to 
access DEC's new generation host 
software. Now you can use your 
IBM PC and SmarTerm 220 terminal 
emulation software to access All in One, 
A to Z, and other popular mainframe 
software. SmarTerm 220 gives you 
sophisticated, accurate DEC VT220, 
VT100, VT102 and VT52 emulation, 
and includes TTY mode to link you 
to popular services like The Source, 
CompuServe, Dow Jones, EASYLINK, 
and Tymnet. 

As you've learned to expect from 
Persoft, the industry leader in software 
terminal emulation, SmarTerm 220 
continues the tradition of offering 
"smart" software solutions where IBM 
PC hardware limitations prevent exact 
duplication of DEC terminal features. 
For example, we give you horizontal 
scrolling for 132-column text display, 
and also support popular 132-column 



video display boards. And we provide 
"convenience" features not found in 
other terminal emulation packages like: 
"Branch to DOS" hot key, automatic 
installation, color support, multiple 
setups, "smart" softkeys, remappable 
keyboard layouts, and online help 
screens detailing PC and AT keyboard 
mappings. Our unique support for 
DEC's popular EDT editor includes 
convenient keyboard mapping of the 
"GOLD" and PF function keys, as well 
as an EDT specific on-line help screen, 
and keytop chart. 

International business people take note: 
SmarTerm 220 fully supports European 
versions of the DOS operating system, 
8 bit mode, the VT220 multinational 
character sets, and the compose key. 

SmarTerm 220 is a powerful communi- 
cations package as well, allowing text 
and binary file transfer at speeds up 
to 19,200 baud. In addition to the 




popular XMODEM "error-free" protocol, 
we include our own PDIP protocol and 
supply you with free BASIC and 
FORTRAN programs which implement 
the protocol on VAX/VMS systems. 

"Farm out" your obsolete DEC terminal, 
and join the satisfied users who "reap" 
the benefits of SmarTerm! 

The SmarTerm family: 

SmarTerm 220-DEC VT220 

SmarTerm 100-DEC VT100 

SmarTerm 125-DEC VT125 

SmarTerm 400— Data General Dasher D400 

SmarTerm 4014— Tektronix 4014 

And now the new SmarTerm 240— DEC VT240 



PUT YOUR DEC TERI 
OUT TO PASTURE! 




After SmarTerm, what do you do with your obsolete terminal? 



IDEA CREDIT: Ann Garner Riddle of Winston-Salem, N.C. 

"SmarTerm is a registered trademark ol Persoti. Inc. "POIPisa trademark of Persofi. Inc. 'DEC. VT.ReGlS, A to Z and All in 
One are trademarks of Digital Equipment Corp. 'DASHER is a registered trademark ol Oaia General Corp. "Tektronix is a 
registered trademark of Tektronix. Inc. © Persofi, Inc. 1985. All rights reserved. 

Persoft, Inc - 2740 Ski Lane - Madison, Wl 53713 
(608) 273-6000 - Telex 759491 

8 BYTE • JANUARY 1 986 



persa/r 

Inquiry 430 for End-Users. Inquiry 431 for DEALERS ONLY 



MICROBYTES 



Staff -written highlights of late developments in the microcomputer industry. 



Epson, Toshiba Announce Color LCDs 

Toshiba has developed an active-matrix, eight-color, 640- by 480-pixel, 10-inch-diagonal 
liquid-crystal display (LCD) that nearly matches the brightness of a standard color TV. No 
pricing or availability information was given. 

Epson announced a backlit high-contrast, 5.13-inch-diagonal color LCD with a resolution 
of 480 by 440 pixels (one-third of which are red, green, or blue). Epson says the display's 
contrast ratio is more than 10 times that of a standard reflective LCD and has a viewing 
angle greater than 60 degrees. Epson also unveiled a high-contrast, 9-inch-diagonal 
monochrome LCD with a resolution of 640 by 400 pixels. Samples of both displays will be 
available during the first half of 1986; prices should be approximately twice as much as 
standard reflective LCDs. 

Epson also announced two 10-inch-diagonal monochrome displays using ferroelectric 
smectic-C crystals. The 640- by 400-pixel and 640- by 200-pixel displays are said to have 
high contrast ratios, low power consumption, and moderate cost; samples may be available 
late this year. 

Optical-Disk Developments: Write-Once Drives, Partnership 

Optimem, which currently makes 12-inch write-once optical-disk drives, showed a prototype 
multifunction 5 , /2-inch optical-disk drive at COMDEX. The drive will work with read-only, 
write-once, and erasable disks produced by 3M. Optimem had not yet finalized specifica- 
tions for the drive but expects to begin shipments in 1986. 

Sony announced a new line of write-once optical-disk drives. The WDD-2000 uses a 20-cm 
(8-inch) optical disk that can store I gigabyte of formatted data; a single drive with a con- 
troller will have a list price of $16,000. The WDD-3000 uses a 30-cm (12-inch) optical disk to 
store 2.1 or 3.2 gigabytes of formatted data, depending on the disk used; a single drive 
with a controller will have a list price of $19,000. Sony also unveiled a jukebox-style device 
capable of holding 50 of the 12-inch disks. 

AGA Inc., New York, NY, introduced an optical-disk system for the IBM PC based on a 
12-inch write-once drive from Alcatel-Thomson Gigadisk. AGA says its Discus 1000 stores up 
to 3 gigabytes of text data or up to 50 gigabytes of graphics images on a I -gigabyte disk, 
using a proprietary data-compression technique. The drive alone is available for $21,500; 
with the data-compression facility, it's $31,000. 

Du Pont and N. V. Philips revealed a joint venture to produce optical disks, including 
4.7-inch CD-ROM and CD audio disks, a 12-inch write-once disk, and an unspecified 
erasable disk. The joint venture hopes to produce 200 million disks annually by 1990, half 
for data storage. 

New Developments in 3 2 -bit Chips 

Signetics, Sunnyvale, CA, unveiled the 68070, a microprocessor that is compatible with 
Motorola's 68000 but also includes on-chip memory management and direct memory ac- 
cess. Samples of the 68070 should be available from Signetics and parent company Philips 
next summer, with production quantities available in late 1986. 

National Semiconductor began shipping samples of its 32332 microprocessor, which pro- 
vides more on-chip functions and memory-addressing capability than the 32032. New on- 
chip features include dynamic bus-sizing (8-, 16-, or 32-bit data buses), burst-mode memory 
addressing, a barrel shifter, an expanded instruction queue, and support for external cache 
memories. The 32332 expands the 3 203 2 's 16-megabyte address space to 4 gigabytes by 
adding a full 32-bit address register. While the 32032 was available only in 6-, 8-, and 
1 0-MHz versions, the 32332 will instead run at 10, 12, or 15 MHz. Weitek Corporation will 
interface its two-chip, 64-bit, floating-point math coprocessor to the 32332. 

The Royal Signals and Radar Establishment, Malvern, England, is developing the Viper, a 



(continued) 

JANUARY 1986 "BYTE 9 



new 32-bit RISC (reduced instruction set computer) microprocessor design. Because RSRE 
wanted a reliable chip for use in weapons and nuclear power plants, the design team used 
mathematical-correctness techniques that compare a formal specification of the chip with 
the logical implementation, which they hope will guarantee an error-free architecture and in- 
struction set. 

Also in England, a fingerprint-matching computer based on an array of 100 1NMOS 
Transputers is being developed for the Home Office. When finished, the experimental 
system should run 25 times faster and cost one-fifth as much as the current system, which 
uses a minicomputer and vector processors. 

Vitesse, GigaBit Logic Announce LSI Gallium-Arsenide ICs 

Vitesse Electronics will develop gallium-arsenide (GaAs) versions of some Advanced Micro 
Devices 2900-series devices, which include microprocessors, controllers, and signal-process- 
ing chips. AMD currently produces the high-speed parts using silicon bipolar technology; 
Vitesse expects that the use of LSI GaAs could enhance performance four to six times. 
Samples of the first components are expected in mid-1986, with full production starting late 
next year. 

Separately, GigaBit Logic announced GaAs multiplexer and demultiplexer (mux/demux) cir- 
cuits that it says allow fiber-optic data transmission at up to 1.5 gigabits per second (gps), 
or three times the current limits of silicon. Eight standard 135-megabit-per-second transmis- 
sions can be combined in a single I.l-gps signal. While the mux/demux circuits use about 
200 gates per chip, both GigaBit Logic and Vitesse plan to produce GaAs chips with more 
than 1000 gates in the spring. 

Kodak Proposes Tiny Magnetic Disk for Photographs 

Eastman Kodak, Rochester. NY, has lined up more than 30 companies— including Sony, 
Hitachi, and Fuji— to support its 47-mm (1.85-inch) floppy disk for storage of electronic still 
images. The 800K-byte disk can store up to 50 images of 240-line NTSC video. Eventually, 
the disk is intended for use in cameras; for now, Kodak is working on a 35-mm film-to-disk 
transfer station for use in developing labs and a still-video player/recorder for the disks. 

Nanobytes 



To back up the newer 3 /2-inch hard disks, Data Electronics Inc. and 3M agreed on a 
smaller tape-cartridge format that will permit tape backup systems to fit in the same space 
as a 3 '/2-inch disk drive; drives using earlier /4-inch tapes required more room. DEI and 3M 
agreed on two formats: a 120-inch-per-second (ips) 24-track /Hnch tape that stores 40 
megabytes and a 90-ips I2-track tape 0.15 inch wide that stores 20 megabytes. . . . TDI 
Software Ltd. has released a full Modula-2 compiler for Atari's 520ST computer. In 
England, the compiler is priced at £195 . . . . VMark Computer, Natick, MA, announced a 
database-management/application development system that can convert source programs 
for the Pick operating system to run under AT&T's UNIX System V. . . . Tall Tree Systems, 
Palo Alto, CA, announced the Jlaserprinter, a $400 laser-printer interface for its JRAM-3 
memory board for the IBM PC. The Jlaserprinter uses the |RAM-3's expanded memory to 
allow laser printers like Hewlett-Packard's LaserJet to print high-resolution graphics quick- 
ly. .. . Micron Technology of Boise, ID, is offering 256K-bit error-correcting DRAM chips. 
Configured as 64K by 8 bits, the chips cost approximately $6 in quantities of 100. . . . 
Novell Inc., Orem, UT, announced System Fault Tolerant NetWare software for IBM AT-based 
LAN file servers, providing three distinct levels of protection from hardware faults. . . . AST 
announced the Snared Resources Network, a new 5-megabit-per-second LAN, which can be 
made compatible with IBM's PC Network by using AST's NETBIOS software. Each $495 net- 
work adapter card comes with a removable ROM chip that allows diskless IBM PCs to be 
connected to the network. . . . Integrated Device Technology, Santa Clara, CA, announced 
plug-in replacements for Advanced Micro Devices 2900 bit-slice processor chips; the 
Microslice-family chips use from one-third to one-fifth of the power of the AMD chips. . . . 
Cermetek Microelectronics, Sunnyvale, CA, is offering the CH18I2A, a DAA component 
that provides a direct interface to both leased and dial-up phone lines. The DAA conforms 
to both FCC and Canadian DOC rules and is priced at $18.95 in 1000-piece quantities. . . . 
Motorola's new 68824 Token Bus Controller (TBC) chip fully implements the ISO Open 
Systems Interconnect data-link layer for networks; it also conforms to General Motors 
Manufacturing Automation Protocol specifications. . . . LSI Logic, Milpitas, CA. announced a 
CMOS gate array with 50,000 gates made of more than 500,000 transistors. 



BYTE- JANUARY 1986 



Co Portable 

with cordless printing 
and disk drive power 
when you travel* 





Imagine a full-featured, battery- 
powered computer system — 
complete with disk drive and 
printer — that fits in your suitcase on 
trips. Now you can make your Tandy 
200 or Model 100 more powerful 
than ever. 

Don't Travel 
Without Your Files 

The Tandv 200/Model 100 Portable 
Disk Drive (26-3808, $199.95) gives 
you fast access to 100K of data on 
3 ] /2" floppy diskettes. That means 
you don't have to leave your impor- 
tant documents, reports, spread- 
sheets, statistics and other vital data 
back home. 

This portable drive may be small, 
but it's not a toy Menu-driven opera- 
tion makes it easy to use. Tt features 
these powerful operating svstem 
functions: FORMAT, SAVE, LOAD, 
KILL, RENAME and BACKUP. See 
a list of files anytime. And you can 
choose battery operation, or attach 
an optional adapter to use AC power. 



Get Automatic Hardcopy 
in Your Hotel Room 

Like the Portable Disk Drive, the 
TRP 100 Thermal Ribbon Printer is 
made to be used anywhere — with 
batteries or AC power. 

Sitting in your hotel room before 
an important meeting, you can 
produce a printout of a report you 
composed on the plane. Or, with 
your 200/1 00\s direct-connect mo- 
dem, you can tap into your home of- 
fice's computer for the latest data to 
update your spreadsheet. 

The TRP 100 (26-1275, $299.95) 
uses plain 8' Iz" paper and a thermal 
ribbon for high-contrast characters. 
Or you can use thermal roll paper 
without the ribbon for direct transfer. 
It even produces bit-image graphics. 

True Portable Power 

Take off with Tmdy 200/100 pe- 
ripherals today. And don't forget our 
selection of software. Tandy is 
Clearly Superior! 



Radio /hack 

The Technology Store 



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Computer Catalog! 

Send Me a Copy. 

Mail To: Radio Shack-, Depl. 8B-A-895 
300 One Tandv Center 
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Prices apply at Radio Shack Computer Centers and at participating stores and dealers. Batteries extra. 



Inquiry 304 



JANUARY 1986 • BYTE 



The database used 

nowbe used 



Introducing dBASEIIf PLUS. 

The PLUS stands for all the improvements 
weVe made to the world's number one selling 
database management software. 







Jp 1 


Create MHTtEHs 


Position Ret: 










1 1 






Database file 


Format 

Uiew 

Query 

Report 

Label 







Tlie Assistant helps beginning users accomplish day-to-day data 
management tasksmthoutprogramming. 

Mind you, dBASE III PLUS still has the 
powerful dBASE programming language, dot 
prompt, and all the features that have made 
dBASE III the standard of the industry. 

WeVe simply raised the standard. 

And just as dBASE III introduced more 
power to the people, our new dBASE III PLUS 
introduces more people to the power: 

People who aren't all that crazy about 
programming, for example. 

The Assistant feature in dBASE III PLUS 
now provides them with new easy-to-use 
pull-down menus for creating, using and 
modifying multiple databases. 

So now anyone who can manage a 
simple cursor can manage day-to-day data 
management tasks. Without programming. 

And by using our new Screen Painter, 



anyone can create custom screens. Without 
programming. 

Or using View, access related information 
in several databases at one time. Without 
programming. 

With Advanced Query System, another 
new non-programming feature, any user can 
build complex queries just by selecting from 
the dBASE III PLUS pull-down menus. 

For rapidly creating entire programs, 
there's even a new Applications Generator 

And for all those who wish to learn to 
program, the Assistant can be of further 
assistance. By teachingyou programming 
commands as you go along. Without disrupting 
your work flow 

These are only a few of the dBASE III PLUS 
features that can help new users quickly get 
up to speed. And experienced users quickly 
increase their speed. (Sorting, for example, 
is up to two times faster and indexing up to 
ten times faster than dBASE III.) 



Field Name STATE 
Operator Matches 
Constant/Expression "KV" 



No combination 
Combine with .AND. 



Combine with .AND.. NOT. 
Combine with .OR. .NOT. 



Line Field Operator 



1 ( STATE 

2 | STATE 

3 < PJ»OD_DESC 
ORDER DATE 



Matches 
Matches 
Matches 
More than or equal 



Constant/Expression Connect 



"NY" | OR. 

"DE" ) .AND. 

"LM Bass Lures" | .AND. 

11/81/85 ) 



IIBfflIB 

\ Set Fi Iter 

Nw Select a logical connector for the filter condition. j 

Aivmwd Query System letsym set up a?2d answer complex 
queries without programming. 



12 BYTE • JANUARY !986 






py more people can 
by more people. 

And it's the fastest way to network those To obtain a free dBASE III PLUS demo disk. 

users, too. Because now, local area networking call 800-4374329, Extension 0282* for the 

capabilities are built right in. authorized Ashton-TateMealernearestyou" 

dBASE III PLUS can also help put developers And get your hands on dBASE III PLUS, 
in the fast lane. With a new Data Catalog and It's the software more people can look 

more than 50 new commands and functions, forward to using, 
Plus code encryption and linking, improved 
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much more. 



Inquiry 26 



In Colorado call (303) 799-4900, Extension 0282. * 'Upgrades are available to all dBASE HI 
owners. Requires IBM* PC or 100% compatible.Trademarks/owners: Ashton-Tkte, dBASE HI/ 
Ashton-I&te; IBM/International Business Machines Corporation. ©1985 Ashton-'Rite. All 
rights reserved. 






Ashton Tate 



dBASE III PLUS 

The data rnanagement standard. 





LETTERS 



The Mac and the DSI Sieve 
Benchmark 

As I read the benchmarks in "The DSI-32 
Coprocessor Board, Part I: The Hardware" 
(August 1985, page 120), I noticed a miss- 
ing system in the comparisons, the Apple 
Macintosh. Being a MacUser. I found this 
disappointing, so I set up and ran the 
benchmarks on my 512K-byte Mac. My 
only significant change tothe benchmarks 
used by DSI is the use of a base (pointer) 
register rather than a global variable for 
the arrays used. This change allows use 
of the Mac's ROM memory manager and 
does not represent a radical change to the 
routines. 

The DSI Sieve benchmark is not fully 
representative of a machine's Boolean and 
integer capabilities, calling for only three 
register variables and using no pointers. 
Applications written by advanced pro- 
grammers take better advantage of these 
tools. Accordingly I used three versions 
of Sieve, calling them Sieve (same as the 
DSI Sieve), RSieve (using more registers), 
and PSieve (using registers and pointers). 
The performance of these roughly repre- 
sents the performance of inexperienced, 
intermediate, and advanced programmers' 



code. The Float and FLT benchmarks are 
transliterations of FORTRAN into C with 
some assumed register optimizations. See 
table I. 

All three forms of Sieve beat the IBM 
PC AT for n = 40,000 (and the AT could 
not run n = 80.000). This is due to the 
much higher costs for 32-bit integer/ad- 
dressing arithmetic on the AT, needed for 
addressing large amounts of data and for 
most applications except games and 
graphics. Thirty-two-bit integers are stan- 
dard on the Mac with the SoftWorks com- 
piler. The single-precision Float bench- 
mark for the AT with the 80287 floating- 
point coprocessor is less than five times 
faster than the software floating-point 
coprocessor of the Mac, a surprising 
result. The hardware advantage of the AT 
did show up in the FLT benchmark, how- 
ever. In 64-bit floating-point, the AT's hard- 
ware was 12 times faster than the Mac's 
software. 

A quick note on the VAX timings. The 
VAX C compiler that I am familiar with 
automatically pointerizes loops such as 
the Sieve benchmark. PSieve is therefore 
the equivalent benchmark, and the Mac's 
speed in this benchmark is near that of 



Table 1: Reader Hembree's 


benchmark results for the Macintosh. 


n Sieve 


RSieve 


PSieve 


8191 4.23 


3.37 


2.80 


20000 10.50 


8.37 


6.93 


30000 15.87 


12.53 


10.47 


40000 21.25 


16.97 


14.00 


80000 43.00 


34.33 


28.32 


Float (40000) 78.90 






FLT (256000) 1759.85 







Table 2: Definicon 


benchmark results. 




n 


Sieve 


RSieve 


PSieve (corrected) # of Primes 


8191 


1.75 


1.58 


1.43 1899 


20000 


4.45 


4.23 


3.51 4202 


30000 


6.70 


6.36 


• 5.33 6056 


40000 


8.95 


8.51 


7.08 7836 


80000 


17.90 


16.81 


13.95 14,683 


Float (40000) 


0.71 






FLT (256000) 


16.45 







the VAX- 11/7 50. particularly impressive 
since the 7 50 costs more than 30 times 
as much. I would like to see the perfor- 
mance of more machines using the multi- 
ple Sieve benchmarks since they test a 
wider spectrum of CPU architectures 
rather than reducing all to a common 
denominator. 

I have one complaint about the DSI ar- 
ticle. It seems to have been written by 
Definicon Systems Inc.. and page 134 
reads like a full-page ad for DSI. While the 
designers may understand the hardware 
better. I would like to also see an indepen- 
dent review of the system by BYTE. 

William L. Hembree 
Las Cruces, NM 

Definicon Systems replies: 
We did not think it was fair to include the 
Mac in the benchmark comparisons 
because it did not have a hardware 
floating-point accelerator. Mr. Hembree's 
own data shows that the Mac is 100 times 
slower than the DSI in floating-point ex- 
ecution (Float and FLT benchmarks}. 
Floating-point arithmetic is present in vir- 
tually all application software, from sim- 
ple spreadsheets to complex statistical 
packages. 

The Sieve benchmark we used was 
taken from BYTE. In order to evaluate Mr. 
Hembree's newer versions, we compiled 
and ran them. To our surprise, the PSieve 
version reported an incorrect number of 
primes. We traced the problem to a dou- 
ble increment of i in the second FOR 
loop. Without the fix, Mr. Hembree's 
pointerized version ran in 1.05 seconds 
on the DSI-32. When the problem was 
corrected, it took 1.43 seconds. 1 have 

[continued) 



LETTERS POLICY: To be considered for publica- 
tion, a letter must be typed double-spaced on one 
side of the paper and must include your name and 
address. Comments and ideas should be expressed as 
clearly and concisely as possible. Listings and tables 
may be printed along with a letter if they are short 
and legible. 

Because BYTE receives hundreds of letters each 
month, not all of them can be published, letters will 
not be returned to authors. Generally, it takes four 
months from the time BYTE receives a letter until 
it is published. 



14 BYTE • JANUARY 1986 



This little Fda 
Means Business. 

The Mouse by Maynard Electronics makes your favorite 
programs faster, wsammm easier, and smarter! 



BY MAYNARD ELECTRONICS 




At last, an Intelligent" mouse! Now you can add 
command power to your programs, when you 
want, the way you want — instantly! The Mouse 
by Maynard Electronics comes with our 
CustomKey™ software which lets you assign 
and reassign commands while using your 
favorite programs — even those without 
mouse utilities. Fly through programs like 
Symphony? Lotus 1 -2-3? Framework? Multi- 
Mate? and others with undreamed of speed! 
And of course, it's fully compatible with all 
programs written for a mouse, too. 




Teach The Mouse 
To Type. 

A single Mouse click will instantly 
produce the character, sentence, 
paragraph, or anything else 
you've selected. Click: you call 
up the CustomKey menu. Click: 
your file is saved. Click: a com- 
monly used paragraph appears 
in place. No other mouse gives 
you such power and versatility. 



A Tale Of Three Mice . 



Compare our Mouse with the others running 
around and you'll see, there's no comparison! 
Here are just a few features across the board: 






'Symphony and Lotus 1-2-3 are trademarks of Lotus Development Corporation. 
Framework is a trademark of Ashton-Tate. MultiMate is a trademark of SoftWord Sys- 
tems Inc. Telepaint is a trademark of LCS/Telegraphics. 



"S£ Maynaid 




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# of Button Combinations 7 

Button Auto Repeat Yes 

Diagnostics Yes 

Dynamic Scaling Yes 

Cursor Overshoot Control Yes 
Adjustable Cursor Speed/Up, Dn (while 

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Adjustable Cursor Speed/Rt, Lft (while 

runningapplication) Yes 

Buttons-Definable (while running application) Yes 

Macros-Definable (while running application) Yes 

User-Definable Alternate Cursor Movement Yes 



Micro- 
soft 

3 

No 
No 
No 
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No 

No 
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No 



Mouse 
Systems 



5 
No 
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Available at the finest computer stores. Contact your local dealer or write to us today for product information. 

inquiry 2 29 JANUARY 1 986 ■ BYTE 15 



/ 





Why you 

should 

ignore 95% 

of the news 



Because NewsNet automatically fintls the 
5% you need. From our database of authori- 
tative, up-to-date business news, you get just 
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LETTERS 



not, as Mr. Hembree did, removed the 
calls to M ALLOC or PRINTF from the 
times reported for execution. 

Table 2 shows the data for the DSI-32 
corresponding to Mr. Hembree's bench- 
marks. 

1 disagree strongly with the concept 
that any benchmark or combination of 
benchmarks can do anything other than 
show that a particular architecture is 
competitive with another For instance, 
programmer productivity is rarely quan- 
tified. We have found, for example, that 
a 400-line C program takes 15 seconds 
to compile on the DSI-32, 5 minutes on 
an Atari 520ST, and 4.3 minutes on a 
Mac. Why shouldn't this data be relevant 
when considering a computer's perfor- 
mance? If the VAX compiler automati- 
cally pointer izes code and thus makes it 
run fasten is this not a valid measure of 
productivity enhancement? Our compiler 
automatically registers variables. This 
saves the programmer the task of keep- 
ing track of which variables are most ef- 
ficiently registered. Is this not an impor- 
tant factor in overall productivity? 

It really should not matter whether a 
computer uses a microprocessor from 
XYZ company or ABC company or 
whether it performs a sieve in 1.43 
seconds or 1.85 seconds. What should be 
important is what the machine can do for 
you and how long it takes you to get the 
machine to do what you want it to. 

It is a travesty of objectivity that 
simplistic benchmarks have become the 
most widely accepted method for per- 
formance evaluation. 

The DSI-32 project has so far taken 
four worker-years to bring to fruition. If 
BYTE magazine had not become in- 
volved, it would be yet another closed- 
architecture computer accessible only to 
the inveterate hacker. The technology of 
3 2 -bit microcomputer design would still 
be locked within corporate vaults. BYTE 
provided a forum for Definicon to pro- 
mulgate its technology while recognizing 
that projects such as these will only be 
made available to the hobbyist while 
adequate financial return for the 
development cycle can be maintained. 

Finally, there was a misprint in the 
benchmark data published in the A ugust 
issue. The time for a VAX-1 1/780 to per- 
form an 8191 Sieve should be 1.09 
seconds, not 1.90, as printed. 

BYTE replies: 

Publishing hardware-construction articles 

presents us with a dilemma. If the author 

{continued) 



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LETTERS 



doesn't support the project by arranging 
for key parts to be available from one 
source at reasonable prices and by 
answering questions of all those readers 
who build the project, then readers 
become frustrated an and angry. Readers 
have to go through all the trouble of buy- 
ing every part in quantity one and at high 
prices. If the assembled project doesn't 
work properly, readers rightly want help 
diagnosing the problem. Supporting 400 
readers who have built a project requires 
time and effort on the part of the 
designer. Usually the demands fa r ex- 
ceed what any individual author is will- 
ing to undertake. 

On the other hand, when we make cer- 
tain that a project is backed by the 
resources of a firm with an adequate staff 
and that parts and support are easily 
available, some readers believe that the 
article is intended to force them to buy 
a commercial product This is not the 
case. Unfortunately, there is never likely 
to be a charitable foundation that sup- 
ports hardware-construction projects 
with design and support engineers, a 
purchasing manager, clerical help, and all 
the other resources that go into produc- 
ing a complex electronic project 

Based on years of experience, we 
believe that arrangements such as our 
continuing one with Steve Garcia and the 
DS1-32 agreement with Definicon serve 
our readers much better than publishing 
schematics and leaving.the reader with 
no hope of support. Readers who prefer 
can always work from the schematics and 
ignore the support firm. BYTE has no 
financial interest in any of these projects. 

Because our readers' greatest interest 
is in new technology, we are determined 
to do hardware-construction articles 
based on new and advanced chips. Gar- 
cia 's project based. on the 64180 and 
Definicon's based on the 32032 are ex- 
cellent examples. They afford readers an 
opportunity to work with systems based 
on advanced chips without having to buy 
a large development system from a 
semiconductor manufacturer. We would 
like to do more articles based on ad- 
vanced chips, but we are usually unable 
to convince anyone to undertake the 
financial risk and the burden of support. 
Such articles require purchasing hun- 
dreds of parts with no certainty as to how 
many people will build the project and 
buy the parts. There are sometimes 
supply problems with the new parts as 
well. 

We're now trying to make arrange- 

[continued) 



18 B YTE ■ JANUARY 1986 



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JANUARY 1986 • BYTE 19 



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MUCH SMALL 







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T 




20 BYTE • JANUARY 1986 



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JANUARY 1986 -BYTE 21 



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Inquiry 406 



4P019 



LETTERS 



ments for hardware projects based on 
three different 32-bit processors: the 
INMOS Transputer, the Acorn RISC 
Machine, and the Motorola 68020. 
Anyone interested should contact Phil 
Lemmons. 

We didn't publish the DSI-32 article 
without assuring ourselves that the board 
would work. Phillip Robinson of our West 
Coast staff saw the DS1-32 assembled 
and working before we published the ar- 
ticle on it. Definicon also shipped us a 
DSI-32 board that functioned properly in 
an IBM PC here in our main office. Our 
technical staff edited the article. 

An independent review of the DSI-32 
is a good suggestion. We'd prefer to do 
that as a collaboration among as many 
DSI-32 users as possible. Those inter- 
ested should contact Glenn Hartwig. 

Compressing Data 

On page 392 of the October 1985 BYTE 
(Letters), readers found an interesting 
"printing experiment" that surely could 
use more explanation. Although it's called 
a "high-density bar code" in its caption, 
the sample has little resemblance to a con- 
ventional bar code image; rather, it ap- 
pears to be a direct binary high-density 
representation of bits framed by an error 
detection/correction and timing format. 

A format like the sample printed has 
good prospects for delivery of machine- 
readable data. I count about 64 informa- 
tion bits in width (excluding error detec- 
tion and framing information), with a den- 
sity estimated to be 128 bits per inch. The 
same 128-bpi density seems to be used 
in the vertical direction, with a length of 
7,5 inches. Multiplying the numbers, we 
can estimate that the test patch repre- 
sented some 61.440 bits, or about 7.5K 
bytes. Multiply that by 10 or so columns, 
and we have an apparent page capacity 
in excess of 75K bytes. For source code 
of programs, you'd probably want to use 
a token-compression scheme. In some ex- 
periments I did in 1981 with token-com- 
pression techniques, I was able to achieve 
almost 3:1 compression for large Pascal 
source programs. Thus, as a means of rep- 
resenting a high-level language program 
with comments, your 7.5K-byte sample in 
October could represent the equivalent 
of over 20K bytes of uncompressed Pascal 
source text. A 20K-byte source program, 
while not large, is a significant chunk. 

There was another fundamental prob- 
lem with the bar code formats we printed 
a long time ago in BYTE. Those bar code 
formats were ugly to look at. The sample 

(continued) 



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Inquiry 34 



JANUARY 1986 'BYTE 23 



LETTERS 



printed in the October 1985 BYTE has in- 
formation, but at a small enough scale to 
look reasonably good to the human eye's 
wonderful power of averaging. 

The use of this density represents a sig- 
nificant advance, probably enough to 
justify purchase of a specialized reader de- 
signed like no bar code reader presently 
on the market. I conjecture that a line- 
image CCD (charge-coupled device) video 



sensor could span the width of the image 
with 128 or 2 56 pixels relatively inexpen- 
sively A brute-force capture device could 
be made to take advantage of this format 
provided that it addressed the problem 
of maintaining alignment during the scan. 
Rough alignment of the scan with the ver- 
tical direction of the page can be provided 
by the "gutter" of the magazine or a ruler. 
Vertical timing is obtained from the edges 




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24 BYTE • JANUARY 1986 



Inquiry 408 for End-Users. Inquiry 409 for DEALERS ONLY. 



of the pattern as printed. Enough'memory 
to allow processing of several conceptual 
horizontal lines would allow for a small 
amount of skew on the part of the line sen- 
sor. Averaging adjacent pixels and using 
a digital threshold test would allow cap- 
ture of the smallest dots in the format. Ver- 
tical timing information present in the for- 
mat as printed would calibrate the pattern 
to the actual velocity variations of the per- 
son using the device, reducing the need 
for sampling of the image. Scanning ought 
to be possible in a few seconds for each 
chunk of 7. 5K bytes or so. 

If this technology works. BYTE, its adver- 
tisers, and its readers finally have a way 
of printing recoverable data for source/ob- 
ject code of significant programs, a capaci- 
ty that was not possible in our earlier ex- 
periments with bar code formats. (See my 
editorial in the April 1980 issue, which 
summarized BYTE's bar code experiments 
from 1976 through 1980.) Now, whoever 
is responsible for this experiment must 
still answer the entrepreneurial problems: 
Who will build the bar code readers, and 
at what cost to the end user? Which 
comes first, the widespread printing of in- 
formation or the availability of the 
readers? By presenting a regular fare of 
significant programs in source form using 
this format, BYTE could spawn a whole 
new marketplace for machine-readable 
keyless data entry from print. 

Carl Helmers 
Peterborough, NH 

BYTE replies: 

The printed software strip on page 392 
of the October 1985 BYTE is called a 
Cauzin Softstrip. The strip was designed 
by Cauzin Systems Inc. of Water bury, 
Connecticut, and was unveiled at COM- 
DEX last November along with the com- 
pany's $200 Cauzin Softstrip Reader. 
Cauzin is promoting the device, which will 
first be available for the Apple Macintosh 
and IBM Personal Computers, as a new 
way of reproducing and distributing pro- 
grams and data. Robert L. Brass, presi- 
dent of the company, explained the tech- 
nology behind the Softstrip to me. 

The Softstrip can be printed in low- 
medium- or high-density formats. The 
strip that appeared in BYTE was in 
medium density and contained about 
3000 bytes of information. The standard 
Softstrip is a bit longer— 9.5 inches— and 
holds approximately 3500 bytes. (High- 
and low-density strips of the standard 
size hold 5500 and 500 bytes, re- 
spectively.) 

{continued) 

Inquiry 181 — ► 



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LETTERS 



Cauzin's use of a near-infrared sensor 
in its reader gives the Softstrip some in- 
teresting properties. The sensor emits a 
near-infrared beam of light, which heats 
the carbon used in black ink and photo- 
copier toner; the receptor portion of the 
sensor measures the slight heat increase 
of a dark area. With this method of sens- 
ing, you can write with colored inks (or 
spill coffee, tea, or cola) on a Softstrip 
and not impair its ability to be read. How- 
ever, writing across a Softstrip or print- 
ing it on multicolored paper is an effec- 
tive way of copy-protecting it— any at- 
tempt to photocopy it will result in extra 
photocopy toner deposits that will 
render the Softstrip unreadable. 

The Softstrip format was designed to 
be reliably readable, even in less than 
ideal conditions. In its medium-density 
mode, each line of the Softstrip (past the 
obvious header information at the top) 
represents 4 bytes (32 bits) of data. Each 
bit of data is encoded as what Cauzin 
calls a dibit— a white square followed by 
a black represents a 1 bit, and the op- 
posite represents a bit (Because of this, 



4 bytes of data are represented as a line 
of 64 black and white squares.) Two pari- 
ty bits are on either end of a line of Soft- 
strip data. A clever scheme of using one 
bit for parity of the even bits and the 
other for parity of the odd bits— plus a 
checksum on each line and the method 
of scanning (discussed below)— gives the 
Softstrip Reader a 1 in 10 billion chance, 
according to Cauzin, of making an un- 
detected error. 

With an effective accuracy of 0.0000 1 
inch, the scanner scans in increments of 
0.0025 inch. In a medium-resolution Soft- 
strip, each line of data is 0.001 inch high; 
this means that each data line is scanned 
four times, each in a slightly different 
place. The sensor integrates the density 
of each half of the dibit and decides the 
bit's status based on the multiple ver- 
sions of this information. Cauzin claims 
that this method is much more immune 
to errors than a system that would sim- 
ply watch for the density transition in the 
middle of a dibit. 

The Cauzin system does not do any 
data compression, but there are 



numerous public-domain programs that 
compress and restore arbitrary files. As 
Mr. Helmers points out, such compres- 
sion could effectively double or triple the 
amount of data that a Softstrip could en- 
code. It is conceivable that a single Soft- 
strip (9.5 by 0.625 inches) holding com- 
pressed data could encode as many as 
five pages of high-level language source 
code! 

Cauzin hopes that its product will 
become widely accepted and that Soft- 
strips will become a common form of 
low-cost software storage. We are en- 
thusiastic about the product and wish the 
company well. We look forward to the 
day when the Softstrip format is in wide 
enough use to merit its inclusion in BYTE 
listings. 

Intels Benchmarking 
Strategy 

There has been a lot of discussion lately 
(particularly on the UNIX Usenet news net- 
work) concerning Intel's recent advertis- 
ing campaign comparing the Intel 80286 

(continued) 



PC LIGHT PEN 




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III] 



Speed up data entry with HEI's 
"Fast-Point"™ light pen for IBM* 
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Ideal for cursor control, menu and 
icon picking, interactive graphics, and 
other data entry tasks. 

"Fast-Point" plugs into the IBM PC 
color graphics board light pen port, or 
monochrome graphics board light pen 
port where applicable. It's compatible 
with standard IBM BASIC light pen 
statements and functions, HEI light pens 
are sold with technical documentation, 
and implementation software on diskette. 

HEI is a leading supplier of high- 
performance light pens for computer 
graphics, CAD, CAI and other applica- 
tions with over35,000 devices in the field. 
Put an HEI "Fast-Point" pen to work on 
your PC. (From $140 to $195) 

(HEI is a major supplier of OEM graphics terminal light pens. 
Call or write for information.) 

•Registered Trademark of International Business Machines. 



26 BYTE • JANUARY 1986 



Inquiry 1 50 



<l 









CD Hayes 



(BHayes* 



If the Hayes Smartmodem 12001s smart 
this one is utterly brilliant. 



First came the Smartmodem 1200. 
Now, there's the smarter Smartmodem 
2400.™ It's twice as fast. Or just as 
fast. Or even not as fast. Because it's 
smart enough to automatically adjust 
to 2400, 1200 or 300 bps communica- 
tions. And to make sure you can 
communicate, it gives tests. It tests the 
phone line, it tests remote modems, it 
even tests itself Because the Smartmo- 
dem 2400 features advanced 
diagnostics. 

Moreover: the 2400 is a smart 
communicator. It communicates with 
mainframes and minis. Both synchro- 
nous and asynchronous transmissions 
are supported by the Hayes standard 
command set for 2400 bps. And you 
can transmit data to another room, or 

Inquiry 154 



another country because the 2400 
meets CCITT international standards. 
So, if you want to make fast work 
of high- volume communications, you'd 
be very smart to see your authorized 
Hayes dealer for a look at the Smart- 
modem 2400 or 2400B, a plug-in board 
for the IBM PC and compatibles. 



Now you can be smart, smarter and 
smartest all at once. 




Say yes to the future with Hayes. 



SMARTMODEM 2400 

• Direct connect • Autoanswer auto-dial • Bell 103. 
2I2A and CCITT V.22 and V.22 bis compatible 

• Synchronous or Asynchronous • Full or half duplex 

• Nonvolatile memory for communications settings 

• Automatic fallback to 1200 or 300 bps • Voice/lata 
switching • Audio speaker • Advanced diagnostic 
tests: analog, digital and remote digital loopback 

• Touch tone or pulse • Automatic adaptive phone line 
equalization • Two-wire lease line capability 

• Supports single and multi-line phone systems 

• Call progress monitoring 

SMARTMODEM 2400B 

• Plug-in board for IBM PC packaged with Smartcom II 
Software • Above features plus synchronous/asyn - 
chronous via standard PC communications port • Rear 
panel communications port switch 

SMARTCOM n» 

• Menu-driven communications software 

• 26 communications sets for automatic log-ons 

• Error-free XMODEM and Hayes Verification 
protocols • VT100/102 and VT52 emulation 

• Unattended batch operation • For most popular 
computers 



JANUARY 1986 "BYTE 27 




When you 

positively 

custom 



m 

*t j 


sf — yy 


BS» 


_-x HTJ * 1 " ; - 

r? unuti jin. .i'»L 

1 * m ir*** 




I ffi f\ 




I LI 


1 IN '1 





Reliability 

is your obvious first requirement in 
this vital link between your product 
and the outside world. At Ven-Tel 
-with 12 years experience and 
millions of modems designed and 
shipped-we don't take reliability 
for granted ...so you can. 





Compatibility QuickTurnaround 



with industry standards. All Ven-Tel 
modems utilize the industry stan- 
dard "AT" command set, guaran- 
teeing compatibility with virtually all 
types of software. And every Ven-Tel 
custom modem is fully compatible 
with our complete line of standard 
desktop and PC internal modems. 
We also meet Bell 21 2 A and 
CCITT V.22bis standards in speeds 
up to 2400 baud. 



is more than a phrase to us. We've 
built a reputation for meeting prod- 
uct deadlines among some of the 
nation's largest and most demand- 
ing manufacturers. From start to 
finish in as little as 90 days,Ven-Tel 
can help you get your product to 
market quickly. You can even begin 
development using our standard 
modules while your design is 
being finalized. 



take a g 



• i • 



d 



need reliable 
modems... 




Customizing 

your modem is your choice. From 
our standard off-the-shelf boards, to 
complete custom design, to licens- 
ing our proprietary CMOS chip 
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right modem solution based on 
your deadline, design and volume 
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u A 






to 



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IT 



Compact Size 

is an important requirement in 
applications like credit check ter- 
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trouble monitors. Ven -Tel modem 
density is state-of-the-art to provide 
excellent "real estate" value, with 
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AT compatible, 212Amodems- 
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With power requirements as low 
as 500mW 




Competitive 
Pricing 

makes the Ven-Tel custom modem 
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into. For quotations based on your 
modem specs or a discussion with 
our experienced OEM sales engi- 
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California). In California, call 
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Ven-Tel, OEM Products Division, 
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Inquiry 369 



look at VenTel 



j 



Inquiry 152 



Brainy Buff er. 

Do you press print and wait? And wait? And wait? 



it frees your computer in 




Your waiting is over with the Universal Data Buffer 
seconds while it handles the printing of your file. 

And the Universal Data 
Buffer from HanZon is 
smarter than the average 
buffer. For one thing it has 
two inputs — one serial and 
one parallel, and two out- 
puts—one serial and one 
parallel. Since all the ports ^* ^* 

are active, it means the Universal Data Buffer can interface between serial and 
parallel devices — even at different speeds and protocols. All that is a bonus to 

its standard function - as a 64K buffer 
expandable to 256K. The buffer also 
has operator controls for 

selecting additional copies, 
and pausing. 

Call HanZon today for 
your nearest dealer: 
(206) 487-1717. 




Suggested Retail Price: $385 - 64K Buffer 

$59 - 64K Expansion Module 



HAN/ON 

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DataSaver400 



Standby UPS 



Power protection for high-level microcomputers with 
peripherals, multi-tasking systems, and communi- 
cation networks is here, now, with the 400 Watt 
DataSaver. Placed between the desktop computer 
and system monitor, the DataSaver 400 features 
a master power switch directing four power outlets. 
2-stages of overvoltage transient suppression and 
built-in, automatically recharged batteries stand by 
to assure clean, uninterrupted power for the five 
minutes you might need to shut down before the 



Ezwumn^Kmrnau 






Cuesta Systems Corporation 

3440 Roberto Court 

San Luis Obispo, CA 93401 



©1985, Made- in USA 



Write or call 805/541-4160 
Dealer, O.E.M. inquiries invited 



LETTERS 



to the Motorola 68010 and 68020. Intel 
has published a document entitled "iAPX 
286 High Performance Benchmark 
Report" (hereafter referred to as "the 
report") to support its claim that the 
80286 offers superior performance over 
the Motorola 680 10 and 68020 chips. Both 
the advertising and the report use the 
benchmarks that appeared in my article 
("Benchmarking UNIX Systems," August 
1984 BYTE, page 13 3) as the basis for 
comparing the Intel and Motorola chips. 

After studying the Intel report. I believe 
there are several problems with Intel's ap- 
proach to benchmarking that should be 
addressed. While the problems presented 
below may not prove to invalidate Intel's 
claim, they do raise doubts as to the ob- 
jectivity and impartiality of Intel's bench- 
marking strategy. As author of the majority 
of the benchmarks Intel has used to make 
its claim, I feel compelled to discuss some 
problems with Intel's benchmarking 
strategy. 

On July 22. 1985. 1 hand-delivered to the 
local Intel office a list of problems with its 
benchmarking strategy and reasons why 
I believe the company cannot legitimate- 
ly make the conclusion it did. As of today. 
I have not received a satisfactory response 
to most of these issues, which are outlined 
below. 

1 . The listing for the pipes.c benchmark as 
published in Intel's report is incorrect. If 
this listing is identical to the source code 
used to evaluate the 80286-based systems 
mentioned in Intel's report, then the pro- 
gram will terminate prematurely, resulting 
in invalid timings. This listing is as it was 
presented in the August 1984 BYTE. How- 
ever, an error was made on my part when 
I furnished the listing to BYTE, and a line 
was inadvertently deleted. I notified BYTE 
of the omission, and BYTE published a 
correction in the January 1985 issue (page 
14). Intel should have used the corrected 
benchmark. Intel has responded favorably 
to this error and has rebenchmarked its 
systems. I have been told that Intel will 
publish a correction. 

2. Intel admits that the benchmark data 
used for the Masscomp and Sun Micro- 
systems machines is the data presented 
in the August 1984 BYTE. The BYTE arti- 
cle was originally slated to appear in the 
February 1984 issue. Due to production 
delays, however, it did not appear until 
August. Although I have no precise record 
the benchmark data I gave to BYTE is 
probably as old as. if not older than. 
December 1983. This means that Intel is 

[continued) 



30 B YTE • JANUARY 1986 



Inquiry 91 




M 



1 



RESIDENT. ; 

MOVE FROM PROGRAM TO PROGRAM WITH THE PUSH OF A KEY 



Now you can go from application to application in a single key- - 
stroke. With RESIDENTr" the product that makes different programs memory 
resident in your PC: Just name your own key to access your application. ; 

SAVE TIME 26 WAYS. No more waiting to change programs. Go , 
from Lotus 1-2-3' to Wordstar to DOS and back again. RESIDENT gives you 
instant access to as many as 26 programs. And ends stopping, searching and 
loading diskettes during the workday . . \ 

GUT AND PASTE. Take data (CUT) as it appears on the screen from 
any application and transfer it (PASTE) to any other application. For example, 
move columns from your spreadsheet to. your word processor. , .. 

SOMETHING EXTRA. DESKTOP PROGRAMS. Desktop pro- 
grams are simply another application for RESIDENT Included free is Utility 
Package I, which has these programs: NOTE PAD, PHONE DIALER, 
CARD FILE, BASE'CONV, CALCULATOR, ASCII TABLE, COMM. 
TERM., AND MESSAGE PAD. 

AT A PRICE THAT'S NOT PUSHY $89.95. 
RESIDENT does a lot. But it doesn't cost a lot. 

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PC DOS 2.0ot higher, one DSDD 5'/. ' disk drive, 
technical: Not copy protected. RESIDENT requires only 12k 
overhead per memory resident application. 

Inquiry 167 



Send this coupon with your credit card 
number (VISA, MASTERCARD), money order or check 
for $89.95 plus $5.00 for postage and handling. 
In Texas, add 6Vs% sales tax ($5.51). Outside the 
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LETTERS 



comparing benchmark results from 68010 
machines over a year old to current 80286 
benchmarks! Intel apparently did not 
make an effort to benchmark current 
68010 machines other than the AT&T 
7300. More recent, but still dated, bench- 
mark data I have shows that the Sun is 
much faster than reported in at least two 
benchmarks. Intel should have noted the 
benchmark dates of the Sun and 



• Masscomp machines clearly as being old 
and benchmarked current production 
machines, as it did with the Intel-based 
microcomputers. 

3. The 80286-based microcomputers 
benchmarked all ran XENIX 3.0. The 
Motorola-based microcomputers ran dif- 
ferent operating systems: System 111, 
System V, and Berkeley 4.1 BSD. The BYTE 
UNIX benchmarks, as stated in the August 



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1984 article, are UNIX operating-system 
benchmarks. They are not microprocessor 
benchmarks and should not have been 
used as such. The consistently superior 
results obtained on the microcomputers 
running XENIX as compared to the micro- 
computers running other versions of UNIX 
indicate that performance differences may 
be due more to differences in operating- 
system software than to microprocessor 
design. For example, XENIX 3.0 uses an 
internal buffer size of 512 bytes; 4.2 BSD 
uses a 1024-byte buffer size. The pipes.c 
benchmark as published in BYTE does not 
take differing buffer sizes into account and 
assumes a 512-byte buffer size. Read and 
write operations thus appear to be less 
efficient on the Sun as compared to other 
machines. In short, by not taking system 
differences into account. Intel did not 
employ the scientific method. Thus, there 
are too many unknowns for a conclusion 
to be reached. Intel should have bench- 
marked a Motorola-based microcomputer 
running XENIX or an Intel-based micro- 
computer running something other than 
XENIX if it wanted to reach conclusions 
about CPU performance under similar cir- 
cumstances and operating systems. 

On a related issue, Intel's version of the 
other benchmarks used in the report are 
flawed, some critically. The company's C 
translation of the Whetstone benchmark 
as published has two errors: 

1. It is performing one loop more than 
necessary in module three. This is actual- 
ly a detriment to Intel's results. 

2. The Whetstone uses a single dimension 
array of four elements. These elements are 
correctly referenced using the subscripts 
0, 1.2, and 3. Intel's benchmark uses the 
subscripts 1, 2, 3, and 4. 

Intel's version of the Fibonacci recursion 
benchmark has a more substantial flaw. 
Because of an extra semicolon, the bench- 
mark makes one iteration instead of the 
10 iterations, as implied in the listing. 

In all likelihood, the errors in the 
Whetstone benchmark did not significant- 
ly affect the results on the machines 
benchmarked in the report. However, 
because of these flaws the results from 
this industry-standard benchmark cannot 
be compared to data from other versions 
of the Whetstone. 

The same may be true for the errors in 
the Fibonacci benchmark. Both instances 
raise doubts as to Intel's knowledge of the 
C language, which it has specifically 
selected for comparing microprocessors. 
[continued on page 407) 



32 B YTE • JANUARY 1986 



Inquiry 124 



Introducing 

Power 
Windows* 





Microsoft® Windows has arrived. 

For anyone who uses a computer 
in earnest, that is extremely good 
news. 

Windows gives you a practical 
way to integrate programs. It radi- 
cally decreases the time it takes 
to move from one application to 
another. Dramatically simplifies 
the means of consolidating data from many 
different programs. 

And, as a graphical extension of the MS-DOS® 
operating system, it gives you a highly visual 
way to work and to organize your work. 

In short, Windows brings efficiency to all those 
processes of personal computing which have till 
now been awkward, unwieldy, inconvenient. 
The joys of job hopping* 

With the advent of Windows, you can work 
with multiple applications. And switch from 
program to program with ease. 

Start up with one application, then another, 
and another. Leap back and forth between 
applications as your work routine dictates. Then 
pick up right where you left off. 




The ability of Windows to change quickly 
from program to program logically and naturally 
magnifies the utility and productivity of the 
personal computer. And is a recognition of the 
way people who exploit the power of PC s really 
do their jobs. 

Breaking the 640K barrier* 

Just like you, Microsoft Windows can handle 
several projects at the same time. Juggle assign- 
ments. Deal with frequent interruptions. 

And Windows will ignore the 640K limit of 
your PC, especially if you have a hard disk, 
the Intel® Above Board, or expanded memory. 
It will execute the rather neat trick of working 
with more programs than memory can hold at 
one time. 




Spreading knowledge* 

Another great service Windows performs is 
accelerating the movement of information from 
one program to another 

Collecting and combining that information 
is as simple as taking a "snapshot" of data in 
one program. Editing it. Then consolidating it 
with data from other programs. 

With Windows, you can enjoy the advantages 
of conventional integrated programs without 
their compromises. Because Windows lets you 
put together the applications that you know, and 
that get a job done for you. 

Choose your best word processor, spreadsheet, 
database— you name it. They're all there for you 
at a keystroke. 



Common ground* 
Finally, Windows is not only an 
immensely powerful tool for today, 
it's also a solid base for a new gen- 
eration of Windows applications. 
As an introductory offer, two of 
these — Microsoft Windows Write 
and Paint — are included in the pack- 
age. Along with more than a dozen 
other programs. 

In Windows applications you have a common 
interface which includes drop-down menus, 
dialog boxes, icons. Along with a richer envi- 
ronment that allows you to mix pictures and 
text. And to summon different type faces and 
styles at a keystroke. 

Windows is a bridge between today's appli- 
cations and the graphics based software now 
evolving. A way to work interchangeably with 
today's programs. And tomorrow's. 

If you're somone who uses personal comput- 
ing as a natural part of your work life, who 
capitalizes on the productive powers of 
sophisticated applications, look into Windows, 
a new vision of what a computer can do. 



Windows breaks down walk 




Windows Paint is an illustrator's studio. A palette of graphic tools. 
Use Paint to create drawings and diagrams. Or, in this case, to 
enhance a 1-2-3 chart to emphasize your point. 



In-a- Vision, a Windows application by Micrografx, Inc., is a 
computer-aided design program. Its highly detailed technical illus- 
trations are easily transferred to other Windows applications. 



Windows lets you freely combine information 
from all your applications. And gives you the 
means to organize, compose, format and print it. 

Because Write and Paint are graphic 
programs, they brilliantly exploit the capabilities 
of dot matrix and laser printers. When you're 
satisfied with what you've done in Write, print it. 



For a stunning presentation. 

Windows provides an easy means of selecting 
and gathering text and graphics from your 
programs. And then consolidating it all— text, 
numbers, and images— in one application. 

Windows Write and Windows Paint can serve 
as a staging area. There you highlight, expand, 









^SSSfiLi* 



**** 



'^6** P'ca 






WZ*** 




and compose text, charts, and illustrations 
drawn from a variety of programs. Then format 
it all for printing. 

For instance, you can move data from Lotus 
1-2-3 and dBASE II into the Windows Write 
word processor. A chart from 1-2-3 can likewise 
be pasted into Paint, a drawing tool. There you 



have the means to transform a basic chart into 
something that communicates exactly what you 
want to say. Which you then transfer to the 
letter being produced in Write. When you're 
happy with content and composition, print the 
page on a graphic printer just as you see it. The 
better your printer, the better the result. 



Spend a day with us.^bull 




ile Edit Uieu Show Alarn Options 



12:38 PI) *- -» llonday, February 10, 1986 



& 2 



I Call Chris II. - re: Uillians deal 

I 

I 

I PM Lunch with Frank - Pain Court Cafe 

) 

1 Planning neetmg - tlain Conference Rood 



Regional Sales Analysis due today! 



H 



7:45 AM. Early as usual. Opening Windows lands you 
in the MS-DOS Executive, the Windows command 
center and file directory. Run the Windows Calendar 
program and see what's up for the day. 



eqion: llest 
alesperson: Cr; 
oduct 



legion: llest 
" lesperson: i 
oduct 



Region: llest 
Salesperson: Linda Bi 
Product 

ieta Uideo 
UHS uideo 

output Follows - 



iobertson 

Monthly Sales 



Monthly Sales 



llonthly Salt 

50000 

90000 

press [ESC] to 



1 IIESI Region 

2 Craig Robertson 

3 13 Inch TU 

li UHS llooie Can 



John Snith 
Beta Uideo 
UHS Uideo 

Linda Broun 
Beta Uideo 
UHS Uideo 

Roberta Cranston 
Rear Proi TU 
Stereo UCR 
UHS HI-FI UCR 
UHS llouie Can 



292000 300760 

200000 206000 

173000 178190 

92000 9W6D 



COMMAND: Alpha Blank Copy Delete Edit F 
Hane Options Print Quit Sort T 
Select option or tuoe connand letter 



a 



7:55 AM. You've got a report due by the end of the 
day A comprehensive sales analysis. Bring up Multi- 
plan^ and R:BASE 5000? Copy regional sales data 
from R:BASE into Multiplan. 




1:30 PM. Market's closed. How'd you do? Open 
Terminal to dial Dow Jones News/Retrieval® and check 
the final quotes. Copy and paste them into Notepad. 




1:45 PM. You did pretty well today. So use the 
Windows Calculator to figure your gains. Which you 
duly note in Notepad. Your good luck, however, 
requires a call to your tax attorney A quick click brings 
up his listing in Windows Cardfile. Another click 
dials him automatically on your modem. 



One of the great beauties of Windows is that 
in the here and now you enjoy the benefits of 
computings future path— graphically oriented 
software. Without giving up any of the appli- 
cations you're happy with today, 

Windows integrates the DOS programs you're 
already using with a wide array of Windows 
applications. 

In addition to Windows Write and Paint, 
the package includes a collection of Windows 
desktop applications which you can use to 



manage your day-to-day activities. A calendar, 
cardfile, notepad, calculator, and telecommuni- 
cations program, just to name a few. Used 
together with your standard applications, they 
can handle an impressive list of office routines. 

Spend a day with Windows and the future 
of business computing falls into place. 

Windows isn't merely an operating environ- 
ment. It's an extremely useful collection of 
applications. 

And because Windows runs most existing 



never give up a Windows office* 




10:30 AM. You Ve squeezed everything you can out 
of the numbers. Now open up Microsoft Chart. And 
let the pictures tell the story. When you've made a chart 
fit for presentation, capture it from the screen. 




11:00 AM. Paste your finished chart into Windows 
Paint. Add borders, highlights, and illustrative detail. 
Not only more appealing, but more effective. 




1:55 PM. No sooner do you hang up, than your 
Calendar alarm sounds. Checking the Calendar, you 
find you've got a meeting at 2. 
3:00 PM. The meeting went on forever. About time 
you got back to that report. Copy the chart from Paint, 
and paste it into Write. It looks brilliant. Now write 
it so it sounds brilliant. 



Search Character 



iraqraph Docunent 



; : ;>)■ ih; West territory were \ 1 ? 



1 j 

t i ' . 






4:48 PM. Everything on screen is looking good. You Ve 
ready to print. Open Clock to confirm time. That's 
right, it's tight. Choose the Print command and send 
the document off to the printer. Open Reversi for a 
quick game while you wait. While you beat the clock 
you can try beating the computer. 
5:00 PM. Report printed impeccably. Turn it in and 
shut down for the day. After all, you were in fifteen 
minutes early. 



standard DOS applications, it's ready to handle 
any job you need to do today. 

But Windows also represents a foundation for 
the future. 

The Windows interface establishes a common 
set of command conventions, drop-down 
menus, dialog boxes, and icons to standardize 
operations for all forthcoming Windows appli- 
cations. Which means once you've learned one 
Windows application, learning the next one 
will be deja vu, not start from scratch. 



Windows Write and Windows Paint are the 
first examples of programs that embrace the 
standard. 

In- a -Vision, an impressive computer-aided 
design program by Micrografx,Inc, is another 
example. Many more are now being written. 

And because Windows runs standard DOS 
applications, you can look forward to the future. 

But you don't have to wait for it. 



The first reviews are in. 
Here's what they see in Windows, 

Prominent reviewers and industry experts 
have been eagerly awaiting the arrival of 
Microsoft Windows. 

Now they've had a good look. And we're 
pleased to record their responses to what 
they saw. 

"I'll bet on Microsoft Windows!' 
Jonathan Sacks, West Coast editor of 
Popular Computing magazine. 

"You've got a clear winner. . '.' 
Stewart Alsop, editor and publisher of 
PC. Letter. 

". . .Windows looks very good . . !' 
Peter Norton, in his column in PC Week 9/24/85. 

Of course, all this is going to cost you: $99. 

A price that makes Windows the most 
startling value ever offered in software. 

A comparable collection of programs— a 
switching program, a graphic interface, desktop 
applications, a word processor, a drawing pro- 
gram—could easily cost hundreds of dollars more. 

Windows will instantly deliver you a more 
productive present. And a leap into the future. 

A future which, frankly, we have no interest 
in keeping exclusive. At this price, it looks to 
be arriving in a rush. 



Integration features: 

♦ Work with multiple applications and switch between them. 

♦ Run more applications than fit in memory at one time. 

♦ Consolidate information from standard DOS and 
Windows applications. 

Applications included: 

♦MS-DOS Executive — DOS file management program. 

Run programs; format disks; copy, rename, delete files. 
♦Calendar— Set appointments with optional alarm 

reminders; daily or monthly view. 

♦ Cardfile— Filing program; cards can include text or 
graphics, autodial capability." 

♦ Notepad —Text scratch pad/editor; time/date stamp option. 
♦Terminal— Telecommunications program; copy session data 

to other programs or capture to file; autodial capability* 
♦Calculator— Common arithmetic operations, plus square 

root, percent, and memory 
♦Clock— Can be displayed anywhere on the screen. 
♦Reversi — Strategy game; four levels of play. 

♦ Control Panel — Set time, date, communication ports, colors, 
add/delete printers. 

♦ Program Information File (PIF) Editor— Create or edit 
PIF files for standard applications. 

♦ Print Spooler— Print files from Windows applications while 
running other programs. 

♦Clipboard— View information copied from applications. 

♦ RAMDrive — Setup memory expansion cards as a 
RAM disk. 

Introductory offer also includes: 

♦ Windows Write — Graphics based word processor. 

♦ Windows Paint— A full-featured drawing program. 

'•'requires a Hayes compatible modem 



Windows will open your eyes* 

We invite you to visit your Microsoft 
Dealer and get a screenful of Microsoft 
Windows. We think you'll agree Windows 
is clearly a winner. 



Microsoft Corporation 
Bellevue, Washington USA 

Microsoft GmbH 

Munich DEUTSCHLAND 

Microsoft Pty 

Sydney NSW AUSTRALIA 



Microsoft Ltd 
Berks ENGLAND 

Microsoft Canada Inc 
Ontario CANADA 

Microsoft AB 
Sollentuna SWEDEN 



Microsoft SARL 
Paris FRANCE 

ONIX Microsoft 
Seoul KOREA 

Microsoft Far East 
Tokyo JAPAN 



Mcrosoff Windows 

The High Performance Software™ 



Microsoft, Multiplan and MS-DOS are registered trademarks and 
The High Performance Software is a trademark of Microsoft Cor- 
poration. 

The names of the people and companies used in this piece are fic- 
titious. Any resemblance to actual people or companies is purely 
coincidental and unintentional. 




FIXES AND UPDATES 



BYTE'S BUGS 



Mac C Updated, QSORT Repaired Sorry, hal 



Consulair Corporation wrote regarding 
Tim Field's review of five C compilers for 
the Macintosh (see the November 1985 
BYTE, page 275). One of the compilers he 
evaluated was Consulair's Mac C version 
1.7. The company pointed out that Mac 
C version 4.0 came out in August 1985. 
Consulair also noted an error in the 
QSORT benchmark (listing 7. page 292). 
Using its own version of a quicksort pro- 
gram, with 16-bit integers. Consulair 
benchmarked version 4.0. the results of 
which are shown below (times in seconds). 
The source code for Consulair's quicksort 
version is available on BYTEnet Listings; 
telephone (617) 861-9764. 



Normal Register 


File Size 


FRAME 0.10 0.07 


13056 


POINTER 26.57 15.17 


13056 


INTMATH 5.05 2.68 


13568 


SIEVE 6.33 4.40 


13056 


QSORT 9.47 8.68 


13312 


FLOAT 289.90 1 55.90 (extended) 1 3568 


FIB 29.93 


13056 



Steve Ciarcia built a computer into a Frag- 
gle Rock lunchbox (see the October 1985 
Circuit Cellar, page 86). Fraggle Rock is 
part of the world of Muppets. Mr. Ciarcia's 
staff dutifully contacted Henson Associ- 
ates (whose letterhead reads "ha!"), 
rightful owners of all Muppet likenesses 
and concepts, and asked for permission 
to use a photo of said lunchbox. The 
mavens of Muppetry graciously granted 
permission. 

However, we failed to acknowledge hal's 
granting of permission. We apologize to 
Henson Associates for this oversight. (Now 
will you please call off those large nappy 
creatures we've seen lurking menacingly 
around the offices?) 



Benchmark Bug 



Project Not Bug-Free 



Several bugs wiggled into Jonathan 
Amsterdam's "Context-Free Parsing of 
Arithmetic Expressions" (August 1985 
BYTE, page 138). Antonio Salvadori. as- 
sociate professor of computing and infor- 
mation science at the University of Guelph 
in Ontario, sent us the following cor- 
rections. 

On page 142. in the line that begins 
UNTIL c < >. there should be only one 
space inside the single quotation marks. 
Fourteen lines below that, a closing paren- 
thesis is missing from the comment state- 
ment. 

The variable savedChar should be ini- 
tialized by savedChar : = chr(empty); at 
the beginning of the main program. 



We go back a ways with this one. An error 
has been found in the Tlirbo Pascal bench- 
marks (July 1984 BYTE, page 267). The 
problem occurs in the Puzzle program 
(page 274), in a line near the bottom of 



the second column. The line reads 

pieceMax[1] := 1+d*+d*d*3; 

To correct it. insert between the first 
asterisk and the plus sign. 



A Paper-Tape Kind of Guy 



BYTE'S BITS 



Roberto Denis, a BYTE charter subscriber 
in Plantation. Florida, decoded some of 
the punched paper tape running across 
the page tops of our 10th anniversary 



issue (September 1985). The message 
reads: HOPE TO HERE \sic\ FROM YOU 
HARD CORE PAPER TAPE PEOPLE ALL 
THIS TYPING BETTER BE WORTH IT. 



Mr. Denis challenges readers who have 
copies of BYTE's early letterhead, which 
had paper tape running across the top. to 
decipher the message. If there is one. 



San Francisco's Exploratorlum Comes to New York 



The staff of the Exploratorium in San Fran- 
cisco is packing up more than 80 interac- 
tive exhibits and heading east, where 
they'll set up shop at the IBM Gallery of 
Science and Art in New York City The ex- 
hibition is designed to help people in- 
crease their understanding of light, visual 
perception, and other phenomena of the 
physical world. 

Among the wonders are the "Distorted 
Room." where people appear to shrink 
and grow in this room with no right angles, 
and the "Duck Into Kaleidoscope." which 
appears to create a crowd when only a few 
people are actually present. 



The exhibit runs from January 31 
through April 26. The IBM Gallery of Art 



and Science is located at 590 Madison 
Ave., New York. NY 10022. (212) 407-6100. 



How To Access and Use BYTEnet Listings 



To access BYTEnet Listings, call (617) 
861-9764. When you get the carrier 
tone, enter two or three carriage 
returns so that our software can deter- 
mine your operating parameters. 

Optimum modem settings are 8 bits. 
I stop bit. and no parity at full duplex, 
or 7 bits. I stop bit. and even parity 



at half duplex. Acceptable operating 
speeds are 300 or 1 200 bps. At this 
time. BYTEnet Listings does not sup- 
port 2400-bps transmissions. 

The BYTEnet Listings software itself 
is menu-driven. Programs may be 
downloaded using ASCII. Kermit. Tele- 
Link, and XMODEM protocols. 



JANUARY 1986 • BYTE 33 



How to Save Money 



1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 

I1M PC SYSTEMS 




i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i ii i i 



Same System with 
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$2085 



MAINSTREET 
ENHANCED 

PC $1965 

with 10 MB Disk 



360kb Tandon Floppy 

10 MEG ADEPT Hard Disk 

256K RAM 

All Controllers, Cables, Manual 

1 Year Warranty 



Monitor Not Included Many Options Available 



I I I M I I I 1 I I I I I I 1 I I I 1 Ill 



HM PC/AT 



i i i i i i i i i i i n i i i i i i i i i i i ■■■■■■ n 



A 1 PLUS 

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20MB System 
Includes: 

□ 1.2 MB Floppy 

□ 360 KB Floppy 

□ 512K RAM 

□ 20 MB Hard Disk 

□ Serial/Clock 
n All Cables, Controllers, Manual 

Monitor Not Included 




Same System 
with 32 mb 

$4071 



MORE IBM PC SYSTEMS FROM MAINSTREET 



<]SUPER PC 



► 256KRAM 

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• 640K RAM 

USURER PC+ * 2F1( w 

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• 2-360K Floppies 

<3PC 2/20 



• 20 MB Hard Disk 

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• 256K RAM 

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• 20MB Hard Disk 




Printers 

EPSON FX-80+ $299 

EPSON LQ-1500 $929 

EPSON FX-185 $499 

EPSON LX-80 $220 

TOSHIBA 1340 $569 

TOSHIBA 351 $1099 

TOSHIBA 1351 $999 

TOSHIBA 341 $939 

NEC E»L»F $449 

CITIZEN MSP-10 $299 

OKIDATA 182 $239 

OKIDATA 192 $349 

OKIDATA 193 $549 

OKIDATA 84 $759 




p\l 



I I 1 I I I 



1 I I I I 



ADEPT 

DataShield AT 800 . , $669 

Back up power 800 Watts 
DataShield XT300 . . . $369 
DataShield PC200 . . , $285 
DataShield AT500 . . . $559 



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DataShield S100 $59 

DataShield S85 $49 

DataShield S75 $36 

Kensington 
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Computer Accessories 

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1 1 1 1 I 11 I 1 1 1 1 I 1 I I I I I i 1 1 II 1 I I I I 1 



ADEPT PC 




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ADEPT AT 



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hi a 

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We've Earned The Right To Be #1 

By Being First So Often 



When it comes to being FIRST with technology-leading 
products Advanced Digital wears its #1 button with pride. 
We were FIRST to introduce an 8-Bit, single board S-100 
computer . . . We were FIRSTto introd uce a 6MHz, 1 28KByte 
single board computer. . . We were FIRST to introduce a 
6MHz, 128KByte Slave Processor board. Our record of 
FIRSTS continues with . . . 

• The introduction of MULTI SLAVE -a 3 USER, 8MHz 
SLAVEcard forthe S-100 Bus systems running Turbo- 
Dos™ or NETWORK/OS.™ 

• The introduction of HDC-2001, the all new hard disk 
controller for the S-100 BUS. 

• The introduction of SUPER 16, a 16-Bit, S-100 Slave 
card for use with Turbo-Dos or NETWORK O/S. 

• The introduction of our new SUPER 186 -the FIRST 
16-Bit, single board S-100 computerthat performs at 
twice the speed of older technologies. Loaded with 
features such as on-board floppy disk controller and 
up to 1MByte of RAM, the SUPER 186 is designed to 
function as a bus Slave or Master. Advanced Digital's 
SUPER 186 permits you to take advantage of vast 
libraries of sophisticated applications software. 




Again, we were #t with . . - 

• The introduction of PC-SLAVE, an IBM PC Multiuse 
card with 8088 (8MHz) CPU and 256-768K RAM 
on board. 






When it comes to selecting your S-100 boards, go with 
Advanced Digital -the recognized industry leader. 

See your local computer dealer or contact Advanced 
Digital today for more information on the new PC-SLAVE, 
and the complete line of S-100 single board computers and 
multiuser systems. 

* ADVANCED J/ Leading 

the Microcomputer 
^^^BH: Technology 



Advanced Digital • 5432 Production Drive, Huntington Beach, CA 92649 • Tel. (714) 891-4004 • Telex 183210 ADVANCED HTBH 
Advanced Digital U.K. Ltd. • 27 Princes St., Hanover Square* London WIR8NQ« United Kingdom • (01)409-0077 •(01)409-3351 ©Telex 265840 FINEST 

Toll Free (1-800) 251-1801 
(Outside California) 



Itiitnmt 



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♦ Nftjw nrk Q/S is afrademark o7c?8IS , *' ; 
*CP/M. is a ttedigsWkjprf Digital 8%earch -*.-. 
*TurboDOS is-a tratfefiWkjtf; Software 2000 



WHAT'S NEW 



HP Computer 
Compatible with 
IBM PC AT 

The Vectra PC from 
Hewlett-Packard is an 
80286-based computer com- 
patible with the IBM PC AT. 
The Vectra's processor runs 
at 8 MHz, as opposed to 6 
MHz for the AT A soc- 
ket is provided for an op- 
tional 80287 numeric 
coprocessor. 

The base unit measures 
16.7 by 15.4 by 6.3 inches, 
for a footprint approximate- 
ly 30 percent smaller than 
that of the IBM PC AT. In- 
side, the Vectra PC has five 
full-size and two half-size ex- 
pansion slots and room for 
three stacked disk drives. 
Drives from either HP or 
other manufacturers fit into 
plastic carriers that snap 
into the chassis, allowing for 
a wide assortment of mass- 
storage devices, including 
3 /2-inch and 5^-inch floppy- 
disk drives, 20- and 
40-megabyte hard disks, and 
tape backup. 

The keyboard has a bank 
of 10 function keys at the 
side for use with IBM PC- 
compatible software; a row 
of 8 additional function keys 
across the top provides 
compatibility with programs 
for earlier HP personal com- 
puters. Theoretically all 18 
keys could be used by a 
program. The keyboard is 
connected through the HP- 
HIL (Hewlett-Packard Human 
Interface Loop), which allows 
for multiple input devices 
without wasting either ports 
or expansion slots. Both a 
touchscreen bezel and a 
mouse are available. 

The three basic configura- 
tions of the Vectra PC are 




Hewlett-Packard's Vectra PC. 



the Model 2 5, with 256K 
bytes of RAM and one 
360K-byte floppy-disk drive 
for $3199; the Model 3 5, 
with 2 56K bytes of RAM 
and a 1.2-megabyte drive for 
$3399; and the Model 45, 
with 640K bytes of RAM 
and a 1.2-megabyte drive for 
$3 599. A floppy-disk con- 
troller is built into the 
system electronics. Prices 
include a color-graphics 
adapter but not a monitor. 
Prices do not cover MS-DOS 
3.1, but if you buy the 
operating system, you also 
get HP's Personal Applica- 
tions Manager. For further 
information, contact Hewlett- 
Packard Co., 1801 Embar- 
cadero Rd., Palo Alto, CA 
94304, (800) 367-4772. 
Inquiry 550. 



Memory-Resident 
Utilities for CP/M 

Spectre Technologies' 
Presto! is a memory- 
resident pop-up utility pro- 
gram providing notepad, 
calendar, calculator, print- 
screen, and cut-and-paste 
functions for CP/M com- 
puters. Depending on the 
modules used, Presto! oc- 
cupies from 6K to 12K bytes 
of RAM. 

The notepad module 
creates an 11-line by 
80-character window for 
editing or viewing files; to 
conserve memory, only the 
current 1 1 lines are stored in 
memory, with the rest of the 
file stored on disk. The 
notepad uses standard 
WordStar commands. 

The calculator emulates a 
standard four-function mem- 
ory calculator. To those 
capabilities it adds Boolean 
operators and support for 



binary, octal, decimal, and 
hexadecimal math as well as 
a character mode. A time 
pad provides a calendar 
and, on machines with a 
real-time clock, an alarm 
and timer. You can print the 
current text screen to a 
printer or a file in ASCII 
format, or you can save a 
graphics image to a file for 
later processing with 
Spectre's Rembrandt 
graphics program, which is 
available separately 

Presto! is initially available 
for the Osborne I. Ex- 
ecutive, and Vixen, and all 
Kaypro CP/M computers. 
Spectre plans to release ver- 
sions for other popular 
CP/M computers soon. 

List price of Presto! is 
$39.95. Contact Spectre 
Technologies, 22458 Ventura 
Blvd., Suite E, Woodland 
Hills, CA 91364, (818) 
716-1655. 
Inquiry 551. 

Animation Generator 
for 64K Machines 

Fantavision is a special 
effects/animation genera- 
tor designed to help you 
create animated sequences 
with 64K-byte Apple lis. 
Br0derbund says that with 
the software, you can pro- 
duce studio-quality work. 
Fantavision incorporates 
computer animation tech- 
niques such as tweening 
(the machine creates fluid- 
looking motion by instantly 
generating as many as 64 in- 
termediate positions be- 
tween objects) and trans- 
formation (an object in one 
frame can be transformed 
into a different object in the 
{continued) 



Inquiry 10 for End-Users. 
*— Inquiry 1 1 for DEALERS ONLY. 



JANUARY 1986 -BYTE 37 



WHAT'S NEW 



subsequent frame). You can 
superimpose special effects 
onto high-resolution back- 
grounds available on the 
program disk or taken from 
other Apple graphics soft- 
ware. Sequences can be 
stored on disk. 

Fantavision costs $49.95. 
Contact Br0derbund Soft- 
ware, 17 Paul Dr., San 
Rafael, CA 94903, (415) 
479-1170. 
Inquiry 552. 

Add 320K to IBM PC 

The IPC 320 RAM board 
gives you 320K bytes of 
CMOS RAM with battery 
backup on a standard IBM 
PC expansion card. You can 
divide the 320K bytes into 
bank-selectable 64K-byte 
blocks or address the extra 
memory as 320K bytes of 
contiguous storage space. 

You can install as many as 
four boards in one IBM PC 
If the card is used as a non- 
volatile RAM disk, the PC 
can still address a full 640K 
bytes of main memory in 
addition to the 320K-byte 
RAM disk. 

The IPC 320 is priced at 
$795. which includes RAM- 
disk software. Contact Diver- 
sified 'Technology Inc.. POB 
748, Ridgeland. MS 39158, 
(601) 856-4121. 
Inquiry 553. 

Mouse Needs No 
External Power 
Supply 

Logitech's Logimouse C7 
is a CMOS mouse that 
uses a maximum of 5 mA 
of electric current. This low 
power requirement means 
the mouse does not need 
an external power supply: 
instead it runs on power 
from the RTS and DTR con- 
trol lines of the host 
system's serial port. It has a 




Logitech's logimouse C7. 




Robotic Computing Kit from Parsec Research. 



voltage tolerance of 6 to 15 
volts, so it can be used with 
most computer systems. 

The standard C7 comes 
with a resolution of 200 
dots per inch (a 320-dpi ver- 
sion is also available) and a 
programmable data-transmis- 
sion rate of up to 9600 bps. 
You can buy it with either a 
25-pin RS-232C connector 
for the IBM PC. XT. and 
compatibles or a 9-pin serial 
connector compatible with 
the IBM PC AT. Logitech will 
also customize connectors. 

Logitech says the Logi- 
mouse C7 is protocol- 
compatible with all existing 
serial mice and will run with 
most software packages. It 
costs $99. Contact Logitech 
Inc.. 805 Veterans Blvd.. 
Redwood City. CA 94063. 
(415) 365-9852. 
Inquiry 554. 



PortaFile Puts Handle 
on 20 Megabytes 

The PortaFile 20 incor- 
porates a 20-megabyte 
external hard disk and 
power supply shock- 
mounted in a portable case 
with a carry handle. Pack- 
aged with the drive is an 
IBM PC hard-disk-controller 
expansion card (which can 
work with one internal hard 
disk as well as the PortaFile) 
and cable. 

The PortaFile 20 is 
scheduled to be available in 
February for $1295. For ad- 
ditional information, contact 
Western Digital. 244 5 
McCabe Way. Irvine, CA 
92714. (714) 863-0102. 
Inquiry 555. 



Robotic Computing 
Kit 

Parsec Research has 
taken a robot construc- 
tion kit made by fischer- 
technik of Germany and 
equipped it with a FORTH- 
based control language 
called PaRCL (pronounced 
"parkul"). The kit contains 
10 projects designed to 
teach you the fundamentals 
of robotics while you build 
a plotter, sorting system, or 
other automated devices. 

The fischertechnik package 
(249 pieces in all) comes 
with two motors, two gears, 
one electromagnet, three 
lamps, eight pushbuttons, 
and two potentiometers. The 
computer interface has four 
outputs for connection of 
motors and other com- 
ponents, eight digital inputs, 
two analog inputs, and a 
program disk. 

PaRCL is modeled after 
advanced industrial and 
laboratory standards. Parsec 
said the language uses no 
complex codes; commands 
are written in English. The 
routines reportedly run 
much faster than BASIC 
equivalents. 

After you've constructed 
your device, you can control 
it with an Apple II. Com- 
modore VIC-20, or Com- 
modore 64. Besides a plot- 
ter and sorting system, other 
projects in the kit let you 
build a materials lift, an 
aerial rotor, a graphics 
panel, and a teachable 
robot. 

The Robotic Computing Kit 
sells for $199. The plastic 
pieces snap together, so 
assembly requires just a 
screwdriver. To power the 
models, you need a 6- to 
10-volt DC supply with a 
minimum of 500 milliamps. 
Contact Parsec Research. 
Drawer 1766, Fremont. CA 
94 538, (800) 633-633 5; in 
California. (415) 651-3160. 
Inquiry 556. 

{continued) 



38 B YTE • JANUARY 1986 



NEW FROM BORLAND 



Borland Introduces Reflex, 

The Greatest Analytical Tool 

Since The Couch 



INTRODUCING REFLEX, THE ANALYST. 

If you use Lotus 1-2-3™, dBASE® or PFS 
File™, you need Reflex™ — because it's a 
totally new way to look at your data. It 
shows you patterns, relationships and 
interrelationships you didn't know were 
there, because they were hidden in data 
and numbers. 

Reflex is the first database that separates 
the trees from the forest. The first database 
that understands that what you see 
depends on how you look at it. 

The first database that probes 
relationships— then shows them to you in 
various graphic forms— scatter, line, bar, 
stacked bar and pie charts. 
The first database to break the bonds of 
traditional DBMS (Data Base Management 
Systems) and give a dramatic visual turn to 
data analysis. 

Reflex makes graphic leaps far beyond 1-2- 3- 
With Reflex, when you look, you see. 



HOW THE CRITICS REACT TO REFLEX 



"The next generation of software has officially arrived." 

Peter Norton, PC Week 

"Reflex is one of the most powerfiiJ database programs on 
the market; its multiple views; 'interactive windows and 
graphics, great report writer, pull-down menus and cross 
tabulation make this one of the best programs we have seen 
in a long time... The program is easy to use and not 
intimidating to the novice...Reflex not only handles the 
usual database functions such as sorting and searching, but 
also "what-if" and statistical analysis... it can create 
interactive graphics with the graphics module. The separate 
report module is one of the best we've ever seen." 

Marc Stem, IntoWorld 

"What you see, then, is an interesting hybrid of a database 
and a spreadsheet that is ideal for analyzing tabular data." 
Adam B. Green, IntoWorld 
"More flexible than spreadsheets, this easy-to-use database 
analysis package presents information with visual 
clarity... Reflex is for you. The flexibility of switching 
between different views of the data lets you see 
relationships you may have previously overlooked... Without 
"what-if' analysis, key variables— such as cost of goods 
sold or travel expenses— may be out of hand but unnoticed. 
The type of analysis to uncover such a foible is awkward to 
do on a spreadsheet; yet, it may mean the difference 
between success and failure in a competitive situation." 
IraH. Krakow, Business Computer Systems 



^^ 



INTERNATIONAL 

4585 Scoits Valley Drive, Scotts Valley CA 95066 
Phone (408) 438-8400 Telex 172373 



Tiademarks: Reflex is a trademark of BORMND/Anal)tica Inc. Lotus is a registered 
trademark and Lotus 1-2-3 is a trademark of Lotus Development Corporation. dBASE 
Is a registered trademark of Ashton-Tate. PFS is a registered trademark and PFS File 
Is a trademark of Software Publishing Corporation. IBM PC, XT, AT, PC-DOS and 
IBM Color Graphics Adapter are registered trademarks of International Business 
Machines Corporation. Hercules Monochrome Graphics Card is a trademark of 
Hercules CompiiterTcchnology. 

Inquiry 40 for End-Users. 
Inquiry 41 for DEALERS ONLY. 



REFLEX OPENS MULTIPLE WINDOWS 
WITH NEW VIEWS AND GRAPHIC 
INSIGHTS. 

You use Reflex's Form View to build your 
database; the List View lets you put data in 
tabular List form; the Graph View gives you 
instant interactive graphic representations; 
the CrossTab View gives you amazing 
"cross-referenced" pictures of the links and 
relationships hidden in your data. Report 
View allows you to import and export data 
to and from Reflex, 1-2-3, dBASE, PFS File 
and other applications and prints out 
information in the formats you want. In 
fact, Report View is probably the best 1-2-3 
report generator you can buy today. It's 
also the cheapest— and you're getting all 
the other features free. 

The commands for all five Views are 
consistent — so you're not stuck learning 
five different ways to get something done. 
And because Reflex uses advanced 
windowing techniques, you can see several 
views on the screen at the same time — 
without having to switch back and forth. 
You get the picture— and the pictures— all 
at once— if that's the way you want to look 
at things. 

Modify a number and all your Views — List, 
Form and Graph— are immediately 
updated, on-screen. Changing a number 
changes the picture— which is mighty 
handy when you're analyzing (let's say) 
sales figures by salesperson; or you're in 
"What- If?" country asking yourself "What if 
we could add 2.5% in January sales?" 
"Show me." 



"Give me the picture." "Show me what 
happens when we shift 11% of Nebraska's 
inventory to the new store in Hawaii." 
"Show me how many Gizmo 28's we have 
in every store in every state as of midnight 
last night and what happens to our East 
Coast stocks if the shipping strike lasts 
more than a week." "Show me." 

So Reflex shows you. Instant answers. 
Instant pictures. Instant analysis. Instant 
understanding. 

HOW IN THE WORLD CAN BORLAND SELL 
A PHENOMENAL PRODUCT LIKE REFLEX 
FOR ONLY $99.95? 

At $495.00, Analytical original price, Reflex 
was a bargain. Acclaimed by critics and 
praised by users, Reflex also got our 
attention at Borland International. We were 
so impressed by Reflex that we bought the 
company! 

To celebrate that, we're making business 
software history by offering Reflex — FOR A 
LIMITED TIME— for ONLY $99.95! (Offer 
good through March 31, 1986). 

That's $395.05 off the original price— 
which is a pretty good return on your toll- 
free phone call. 

We think Reflex should be an "automatic 
product," a "standard" that every PC owner 
should own. That's why we priced it at 
$99.95. Naturally we've added our 60-day 
money-back guarantee and Borland's 
Reflex is not copy-protected. 




I 
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Send me . — 



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WHAT'S NEW 



32-bit Floating-Point 
Processor 

Advanced Micro Devices 
has developed a single- 
chip floating-point processor 
(FPP) that can perform 
32-bit floating-point addi- 
tion, subtraction, or multi- 
plication within a single 
1 50-nanosecond clock cycle. 
The Am29325 FPP has a 
flow-through architecture 
that features two 32-bit 
input buses and one 32-bit 
output bus. 

This FPP is the first 
member of the planned 
Am29300 family of 32-bit 
bipolar microprocessors. It 
can perform a single- 
precision floating-point 
operation within 1 50 ns in 
the flow-through mode or 
135 ns in the clocked mode. 
The chip can be employed 
in systems based on other 
microprocessors. 

The Am29325 can perform 
arithmetic using either the 
IEEE floating-point standard 
P754 or the DEC single- 
precision floating-point for- 
mat. It can also convert 
numbers between the IEEE 
and DEC formats and be- 
tween 3 2 -bit integer and 
floating-point formats. 

In addition to the standard 
I/O configuration already 
described, the Am29325 can 
be selected for a 3 2 -bit. 
two-bus architecture or a 
16-bit, three-bus structure 
for use with 16-bit micro- 
processors. The input and 
output registers can be 
made transparent so the 
system designer can use ex- 
ternal registers with no 
system speed penalty. 

The Am2932 5 FPP comes 
in a 144-pin pin-grid-array 
package and is priced at 
$695 each in 100-unit quan- 
tities. Contact Advanced 
Micro Devices Inc.. 901 
Thompson Place. POB 3453. 
Sunnyvale, CA 94088, (408) 
732-2400. 
Inquiry 557. 




The Am293 25 floating-point processor from Advanced Micro Devices. 



Low-Cost 
Word Processor 

DAC Software's DAC 
Easy Word runs on the 
IBM Personal Computer and 
compatible machines. Com- 
mands are entered either by 
selecting options presented 
in a series of nested menus 
or by typing mnemonic Alt- 
key combinations. 

The program can maintain 
up to four windows at a 
time, can import and export 
ASCII text, and has mail- 
merge capabilities. It sup- 
ports margins up to 127 
characters and can scroll 
horizontally. Other features 
include automatic hyphena- 
tion with a dictionary of 
more than 3000 cases, a 
60-line buffer from which 
deleted text can be re- 
trieved, access to DOS com- 
mands, word counting, and 
a spelling checker with a 
70,000-word expandable 
dictionary. 

DAC Easy Word requires at 
least 256K bytes of RAM 
and DOS 2.0 or higher. With 
2 56K bytes of memory, the 
program can handle about 



70 pages of text. It costs 
$49.95. Contact DAC Soft- 
ware Inc., 4801 Spring Valley 
Rd.. Building HOB. Dallas. 
TX 75244, (214) 458-60038. 
Inquiry 558. 



CAD Software 
for the IBM PC 

Generic CADD from 
Generic Software is a 
$99.95 program for com- 
puter-aided design and 
drafting with the IBM PC. 
You can use it to design and 
draft in two dimensions on 
the computer screen using 
multiple layers, multiple line 
types, rubber-banding of 
lines and windows, user- 
definable video and digitizer 
menus, and component 
libraries. You draw with a 
mouse, digitizer, or keystroke 
commands. 

The program features ab- 
solute or relative coordinate 
input, floating-point-based 
data, and unlimited picture 
size. The number of entities 
in a single drawing is limited 
only by memory size (640K 
bytes of RAM will allow ap- 
proximately 40K lines). 

You can choose from 
point, straight-line, rectangle, 
regular-polygon, circle, arc, 
ellipse, and curve (B-spline) 
drawing entities. You can 



select 256 layers. 2 56 colors, 
and 2 56 line types. The pro- 
gram provides for measure- 
ment of lengths, angles, and 
areas. Text placed in draw- 
ings can be scaled or 
rotated; multiple fonts are 
available. 

Component libraries in 
Generic CADD can hold up 
to 256 different components 
for a single drawing. Such 
components can be in- 
cluded on menus and can 
be rotated, scaled, stretched, 
shrunk, or mirrored. 

Generic CADD requires an 
IBM PC or compatible with 
at least 2 56K bytes of RAM. 
a video graphics board, an 
8087 coprocessor (or an 
80287 for an IBM AT), two 
floppy-disk drives, and DOS 
2.0 or above. The recom- 
mended system configura- 
tion is a PC with 51 2K bytes 
or more of RAM. a medium- 
resolution video graphics 
board (720 by 350 mono- 
chrome or 640 by 400 
color), a 10-megabyte hard- 
disk drive, a 12- by 12-inch 
digitizer, and a plotter. 
Generic CADD is priced at 
$99.95 with a 60-day uncon- 
ditional money-back 
guarantee. Contact Generic 
Software Inc., 6 Lake 
Bellevue #203. Bellevue. WA 
98005. (206) 462-1944. 
Inquiry 559. 

Macintosh 
Telecommunications 

MicroPhone is a Macin- 
tosh telecommunica- 
tions program written by 
Dennis Brothers, author of 
the public-domain program 
MacTEP. MicroPhone can 
emulate DEC VT100. VT-52. 
and TTY-type terminals and 
provides ASCII and 
XMODEM file-transfer capa- 
bilities. Apple's Switcher is 
packaged with MicroPhone 
so that other applications 

[continued] 



40 B YTE • JANUARY 1986 



NEW FROM BORLAND! 



Borland introduces Tazbo Lightning™ 

the fastest, most amazing 
information system since your brain 



You can now find out everything in a flash. 

With instant access to electronic versions of the 83,000 word 
Tlirbo Lightning™ Random House® Speller & Word List; the 
50,000-word Tiirbo Lightning Random House Thesaurus™ 
and the soon-to-be-released Tiirbo Lightning Encyclopedia™ 
— and to an astonishing array of electronic reference books 
which form Borland's new Tiirbo Lightning Library™. 

Hitting one key on your IBM® personal computer — taps 
you into this new electronic age of instant information. 

You get the right word, the right spelling, the right name, 
the right address, right now. 

What we've done has been called "Artificial Intelligence," 
we simply call it " Tiirbo Lightning." This information 
revolution — driven by Tiirbo Lightning— - means that the 
way you look things up is definitely looking up. 

No matter what program you're running, 
Turbo Lightning instantly checks your 

Spelling as you type. You could be running 
WordStar®, MultiMate™, SideKick®, Microsoft® Word, MCI 
Mail®, CompuServe®, or whatever, because as you work> as 
you write, Tiirbo Lightning is waiting in the wings, watching 
how you spell every word, but not getting in the way of what 
you're doing, 

So how does it work? Let's say the word you meant to 
type was "RIGHT; ■ but you accidentally typed 'RIHGT," 
which is wrong. What happens then? 

You immediately hear a '6eep/ so you know there was a 
boo-boo. You instantly see a window, that doesn't list 
"RIHGT" but it does list 'RIGHT' and its sound-alike words. 
So your screen looks like this-. 



rihgt 
: Sound Alike Words : 



B: rights 
C: righted 
D: rightly 
E: relight 
F: Tighter 

G. Add word to auxiliary dictionary 
PgUp or PgDn for more words 



So you move your cursor to "A," which is the right 
"right;* hit Return and the spelling mistake is Instantly 
fixed. And (he program you were working on has continued 

to run while you did a little spelling sidetrn ho 

Lightning: {if -you'd radm not remember your Spellm. h iol the 

Iteep might make you nuts, but you can choose the "whole page" option. which 
means that when you finish writing the entire page, any . tkes will be 
highlighted You go in and straighten tilings out straight away): 

Lightning never goes away, is 100% concurrent, reliable, 
accurate and cannot, does not, will not 'crash & bum; 

Your document; letter, report, spreadsheet is word perfect 
and no one ever knows that you can't spell for teens.: 



J$illik 



Turbo Lightning does a lot more than spell 
"right" right, it also gives you instant 

Synonyms, Because you also have Tiirbo Lightning's 
Random House Thesaurus at your fingertips, you can really 
get to know your 'rights.' So back to the word "Right," but 
this time in the thesaurus. Type in "Right" and what you see 
in the on-screen window is: 




So you instantly know more than one way to say, "The 
Boss is always right," which Is handy if you get cornered 
and have to lie like that 

Introduce yourself to Turbo Lightning and it 
will never ever forget your name, its conceivable, 

if unfair, mat your name is not in the dictionary already, but 
you can instantly teach Thrbo Lightning your name and all 
the other names and words it needs to know to help run 
your business or personal life. 

Once you've taught Thrbo Lightning what it needs to 
know, you'll never blow it with a letter to the Joint Cheek of 
Staff, the Raygan White Howse or mess something up on your 

1MB' PC, (1MB !'C is nor a tni I <•- >■• ■■ Ifucrnalional 
Business Machine Con. !) 



Not $500, not $400, not $300, not $200, not 
$100, just $99.95 for this instant electronic 

miracle. Our success is pretty simple. We're not greedy. We 
believe that it is better to sell hundreds of thousands of 
software programs at a reasonable price — instead of a few at 
prices that would make Jesse James blush. 

Just $99-95 gets you into the Tiirbo Lightning Library — 
which is an incredible deal when you look at what you're 
getting. You're getting the 'access system' — 7I/r6o 
Lightning — which is the "engine" that powers the whole 
Tiirbo Lightning Library. You're getting the "engine" plus the 
83,000-word Tiirbo Lightning Random House Speller and 
Word List; the 50,000-word Tiirbo Lightning Random House 
Thesaurus, And you're getting all that for an incredible 
$99.95! 

■If you ever write a word, think a word or say 
a word, you heed Tirrto lightning. We give you a 

60-day money-back guarantee and of course there's no copy 
protection. $99-95 isn't much to pay for a mistake-free life. 
Not to mention an education. No matter who you are or 
what you do, you need Tiirbo Lightning. That $9995 will be 
the best $99-95 you ever spent on yourself or your company. 

Do yourself, your assistants, your secretary, your boss, your 
readers, your audience and your career a favor, get Tiirbo 
Lightning today! 



4585 SC0TTS VALLEY DRIVE: SCOTTS VALLEY; 

ca 95066 . phone (408) m-wo telex i 12373 

TurixiUgliH'irt^. T-.id:*:. bghmi;-;;* i.-'m.-yv!' •r<:\\':.\. unUTurixJ Lightning library arc 

ffaJeniarKs;intiSideJ i i tonal, "tnc 

Ru«.i. .n 1 ! r ,w ■, ,: i , -. • r . . :> ■, 1 1 ni.v.- in- , IBM IRM f\ . AT, 

arid XT are w not Ma Flirti < Cap MutiiMaic 

i*. j iraikfiui i 1 •..'!-•-. .1 iraUtrtrevk of 

MicroPro Inn ' u n:>;:Mi;ii.:J luJ^ninxkof MiovwjftCorp 

ML! MjiI is ! • uns < irp CompuServe 5.S .1 

f t-grsw-TttJ Wi ,-(>>rn. 




Inquiry 42 lor End-Users. Inquiry 43 for DEALERS ONLY. 



WHAT'S NEW 



can be coresident with the 
program. 

With MicroPhone, the 
Macintosh can automatically 
log on to a remote system, 
send and receive mail, 
transfer files, and log off, all 
without human intervention. 
Simpler macros can be ac- 
tivated with a single key- 
stroke. Macros can be 
created using Microphone's 
"Watch Me" mode— in which 
the program observes 
prompts and keystrokes— or 
by using the program's 
Script window menus, or a 
combination of the two. 

MicroPhone has a list 
price of $74.95. For more 
information, contact Soft- 
ware Ventures Corp., 2907 
Claremont Ave., Suite 220, 
Berkeley, CA 94705, (800) 
336-6477; in California, (800) 
336-6478; in Canada, (800) 
336-6479. 
Inquiry 560. 

Equity II 
and Equity III 

Epson has released the 
Equity II, an IBM PC- 
compatible, and the Equity 
III, which is compatible with 
the PC AT. 

The Equity II is based on 
NEC's 8086-compatible V30 
microprocessor. While the 
Equity II normally operates 
at 7.16 MHz, it can also run 
timing-critical software at the 
same 4.77-MHz clock speed 
as the IBM PC. The Equity II 
includes a keyboard similar 
to the one shipped with 
IBM's PC AT but without 
LEDs. For operator conve- 
nience, the power switch, 
volume control, and all DIP 
switches are located behind 
a drop-down front panel. 

A combined monochrome/ 
color-graphics controller, 
floppy-disk controller, serial 
and parallel ports, and 640K 
bytes of RAM are on the 
main system board. A 
100-watt power supply five 




Epson's Equity II [right] and Equity III. 



open expansion slots, and 
space for up to two half- 
height disk drives allow for 
additional hardware. The 
system power can be turned 
on with the front-panel 
power switch or optionally 
by a preset timer or when- 
ever the serial port detects 
a ring-detect signal. Power 
can be turned off manually 
or through a software 
command. 

Like the PC AT the Equity 
HI includes eight expansion 
slots, a single 1.2-megabyte 
disk drive, serial and parallel 
ports, and room for up to 
four internal half-height disk 
drives. A hard-disk controller 
and 640K-byte RAM are also 
standard. 

The Equity II with one 
360K-byte disk drive will 
retail for under $1900. The 
Equity III with one 1.2-mega- 
byte drive will be priced 
under $3 500. Contact Epson 
America, Computer Products 
Division, 2780 Lomita Blvd., 
Torrance, CA 90505, (213) 
539-9140. 
Inquiry 561. 

Data-Compression 
Units Multiply 
Modem Speed 

Adaptive Computer Tech- 
nologies now offers the 
ACT- 12 00 A and the ACT- 
2400A, data-compression 
units for use with 1200- and 
2400-bps full-duplex 



modems. These devices are 
stand-alone boxes that inter- 
face not only to modems 
but to terminals and com- 
puters through an RS-232C 
cable. They can be used for 
modem file transfer, trans- 
mission to a printer, or 
general, interactive terminal- 
to-computer work. To com- 
press data, you need to 
have an ACT unit at each 
end of the line. However, 
the units do have a trans- 
parent mode that does not 
compress data but simply 
passes it along. 

The ACT compression 
units analyze transmitted 
data and use statistical 
characteristics about that 
data to select a compression 
scheme. The units can stay 
with built-in tables, or they 
can invoke a dynamic 
history feature and agree to 
work with a new table based 
on the last few thousand 
characters. Because the units 
will derive the same new 
table, one doesn't have to 
send the entire table to the 
other; a short message 
suffices. 

Repetitive strings are com- 
pressed using variable bit- 
length encoding. The com- 
pression ratio is not directly 
related to the type of file: 
Database files and text files 
will see the same sorts of 
compression. Compression 



factors range as high as 5:1, 
but 2:1 or 3:1 is typical. En- 
coding and decoding also 
incorporate a full CRC-16 
error-correction process. 

A series of menus lets you 
set certain compatibility and 
transmission options, which 
are then stored in non- 
volatile memory inside the 
unit. You can modify the 
handshaking that alerts the 
units to the presence or 
absence of another com- 
pressor at the other end of 
the line. 

The ACT-1200A costs $595. 
The ACT-2400A costs $795. 
Contact Adaptive Computer 
'technologies, 97 Boston 
Ave., Suite 103, San lose, CA 
95128, (408) 279-3993. 
Inquiry 562. 

Synthesizer Attaches 
to Parallel Port 

Rayna Systems has 
developed a high- 
performance music syn- 
thesizer that can attach to 
almost any computer 
through a parallel printer 
port. The synthesizer has 59 
oscillators, all of which have 
programmable frequency 
volume, and waveform. 

These oscillators can be 
combined to produce a 
varied collection of sounds. 
In addition, output can be 
channeled into any of four 
output jacks to provide 
quadraphonic sound. A sam- 
ple BASIC program shows 
how the synthesizer can be 
set up. For CP/M systems, 
additional software is avail- 
able, including a $150 pro- 
gram that allows you to edit 
musical note sequences and 
instrument characteristics in 
real time. 

The price of the Rayna 
Synth-in-a-Box is $850. As 
an S-100 board, the product 
costs $650. Contact Rayna 
Systems, 460 9th St., 
Brooklyn. NY 11215, (718) 
499-8457. 
Inquiry 563. 

[continued on page 408) 



42 BYTE • JANUARY 1986 



Inquiry 126 for End-Users. 
Inquiry 127 for DEALERS ONLY. 




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ASK BYTE 



Conducted by Steve Ciarcia 



RAM for Apple 

Dear Steve, 

I have a 294K-byte RAM card made by 
"Syntex, Redmond" for the Apple II. Ap- 
parently, the company was originally 
located in the state of Washington and 
merged with another company. 

I need information on installation and 
use of the product. Any help you could 
give me would be appreciated. 

Stan Reed 
Eagle River, AK 

There was a company called Syntex In 
Redmond, Washington, that made a RAM 
card for the Apple called Flashcard. That 
company, however, is no longer in busi- 
ness. An Apple Pascal 1.2 driver to con- 
figure the Flashcard as a soft disk drive 
is available from 

A.RRL.E. Co-op 

290 Southwest 43rd St. 

Renton, WA 98055 

ProDOS drivers are available from 

Microseeds 

20 Goodell Rd. 

Stafford Springs, CT 06076 

—Steve 

6502 Math 

Dear Steve, 

Do you know of a book that explains 
6502 math utilities? I need something that 
develops the algorithms for floating point, 
random numbers, rounding errors, trigo- 
nometric functions, logarithms, powers, 
roots, and so on. 

I'm in prison here in Texas, and I work 
in the electronics shop. I use an Apple lie 
and would like to write my own math func- 
tions, but I've been hampered by the lack 
of proper algorithms. I managed to figure 
out a floating-point format using a 64-bit 
mantissa, a 1 5-bit characteristic, and a sign 
bit. After that, the only algorithm I could 
find was a laylor power series in a calcu- 
lator book. 

It is very frustrating to order computer 
books by mail without any recommenda- 
tions. I don't have any reference library ex- 
cept the one I have put together myself. 
Michael Sanders 
Huntsville, TX 



Three good sources of the kind of in- 
formation you are seeking are 

Ahl, David H. Computers in Mathematics: 
A Sourcebook of Ideas (Creative Com- 
puting Press) 

Bennett, William. Scientific and Engineer- 
ing Problem-Solving with the Computer 
(Prentice-Hall) 

Knuth, Donald E. The Art of Computer 
Programming, Volume 2: Semi-Numerical 
Algorithms (Addison-Wesley) 

Current prices and relevant ordering in- 
formation can be obtained by writing 
directly to the publishers—Steve 

Just One Minor Question 

Dear Steve, 

Could you advise me on how to learn 
more about microcomputers? I do have 
some computer background: I've taken 
graduate physics courses in micros and 
courses in FORTRAN, assembly language, 
and the use of BASIC and machine lan- 
guage. I've also used RCA and DEC main- 
frame computers. 

I am looking for a way to make an Atari 
run Commodore and Apple programs, 
since they all use the 6502 processor. Can 
you use tristate buffers to switch to dif- 
ferent operating-system ROMs, I/O ports, 
etc.? This leads me to ask about emula- 
tion—is it an advanced program lookup 
table (what is a lookup table?) that makes 
the processor think it is in a different 
machine? Or does it just translate the pro- 
gram to the other machine's require- 
ments? Can an emulation ROM be bank- 
switched in to translate the program? 

I've read that an operating system has 
been written in the C programming lan- 
guage. How? I've looked at a couple of 
operating-system programs, but I admit 1 
don't know much about the subject. I 
couldn't write my own, and 1 have only a 
vague concept of the BIOS. How can I 
learn lots more? 

How does the Commodore C-128 tie 
together the 6502 and the Z80? Using a 
coprocessor? (What is a coprocessor?) 
How does the Heath/Zenith H-89 use one 
Z80 to control a second Z80 in a pro- 
cessor/slave arrangement? Where can I 
learn how to use a Z80 or a 6502 to con- 



trol a 68000? How does the operating sys- 
tem control parallel processors, such as 
an 8086 with an 8087? 

I'm not sure I understand the DMA con- 
cept or how a cache memory works. How 
are programs (and the operating system) 
written to handle a RAM disk? A bubble 
memory? Can dynamic memory be used 
in the RAM disk? How is refreshing 
handled? 

MSX is being promoted as an 8-bit 
operating-system standard. Where can I 
find out more? Can I convert an old Radio 
Shack computer to use MSX? How? 
Where can I find an operating-system 
ROM? 

I think I know some basics about micros, 
but where do I go for an intermediate edu- 
cation? I do try to read BYTE regularly— 
especially your articles— but sometimes I 
have more questions than understanding. 
Merle Rummel 
Liberty, IN 

Mr. Rummel, you ask a lotta questions. 

Your letter is filled with questions rang- 
ing from basics to advanced hardware/ 
software techniques. As a beginning, the 
best way to learn a subject is to read and 
experiment. You should have some com- 
puter-related textbooks left over from col- 
lege that would provide a good start. In 
addition, a trip to your library and a well- 
stocked bookstore will provide a wealth 
of computer-related information. You can 
select books that furnish information at 
a level you can understand. 

Making a series of computers that 
utilize the same microprocessor chip (and 
therefore the same instruction set) is not 
as simple as changing an operating-sys- 
tem ROM. The address locations of the 
I/O ports on one machine are usually dif- 
ferent from those on another. This means 
that you have to change one machine's 
operating system's port addresses to fit 
the new machine. Device addresses, 
memory addresses, etc., are set by hard- 
ware, not software. Consequently, a pro- 
gram that runs on an Apple will not load 
and run successfully on a Commodore or 
Atari computer, even though they all 
share the same microprocessor. 

An operating system can be written in 

[continued) 



44 BYTE • JANUARY 1986 



COPYRIGHT © 1986 STEVEN A. CIARCIA. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. 



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ASK BYTE 



C FORTRAN, COBOL, Pascal, etc. An 
operating system tells the micropro- 
cessor how to talk to a computer system s 
various components, like disk drives, 
printers, terminals, parallel ports, serial 
ports, etc. This can be done in any lan- 
guage, provided it is eventually compiled 
into the machine instructions required by 
a particular microprocessor. 

A coprocessor is used to assist the 
main processor or to perform a task 
more efficiently than the main processor 
can. An example is the 8087 math copro- 
cessor used with the 8088/86 series of 



microprocessors. The 8087 performs 
mathematical computations many times 
faster than the 8088/86. Since a copro- 
cessor usually shares the same data and 
address bus as the main processor, 
special hardware is required to assure 
that only one processor has control of 
the bus at any given time. 

DMA (direct memory access) is a 
method by which a device reads and 
writes directly to RAM without interven- 
tion or help from the main processor. 
This allows high-speed data transfer and 
is usually provided by a dedicated DMA 



controller chip or a separate processor. 

A RAM disk is a program that sets aside 
a portion of memory for use as a disk 
drive. It does this by fooling the operat- 
ing system into "thinking" that this RAM 
is a physical drive. Dynamic RAM can be 
used as a RAM disk, a scan bubble mem- 
ory and static RAM. The operating sys- 
tem and RAM-disk program don't care if 
the memory is dynamic, bubble, or static; 
these are ail handled by hardware. 

Since dynamic memory is based on 
charge-storage i n capacitors, rather than 

[continued) 



A PROTOTYPE FOR YOUR PROTOTYPES 




METHODS BY DIGITALK. A SMALLTALK PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT ENVIRONMENT FOR 
THE IBM PC. AN OBJECT-ORIENTED SPEED DEMON. AN EXCITING WAY TO PROGRAM. 



Think about your problem. Browse the Methods 
Smalltalk source code. Select some building 
blocks like pop-up menus, windows, text-editors 
and dictionaries. Put them together. Try it. 
Oops, Methods tells you something is missing. 
No problem. Continue thinking, changing and 
trying. Now you're prototyping! Try out new 
ideas. Redefine your problem. And you don't 
have to throw this prototype away. Refine it 
until you like the finished product. 

Methods by Digitalk. A new way to develop 
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Use it by prototyping. 

Methods is Smalltalk-80™ language compatible. 
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can extend it in Smalltalk and assembly 
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Methods operates on IBM PCs with 51 2K bytes 
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46 BYTE- JANUARY 1986 



Inquiry 104 






The C for Microcomputers 

PC-DOS, MS-DOS, CP/M-86, Macintosh, Amiga, Apple II, CP/M-80, Radio Shack, 
Commodore, XENIX, ROM, and Cross Development systems 



MS-DOS, PC-DOS, CP/M-86, XENIX, 
8086/80x86 ROM 

Manx Aztec C86 

"A compiler that has many strengths . . . quite valuable 
for serious work" 

Computer Language review, February 1985 

Great Code: Manx Aztec C86 generates fast executing 
compact code. The benchmark results below are from a 
study conducted by Manx. The Dhrystone benchmark 
(CACM 10/84 27:10 pl018) measures performance for a 
systems software instruction mix. The results are with- 
out register variables. With register variables, Manx, 
Microsoft, and Mark Williams run proportionately faster, 
Lattice and Computer Innovations show no improve- 
ment. 



Execution 


Code 


Compile/ 


Time 


Size 


Link Time 


Dhrystone Benchmark 






Manx Aztec C86 3.3 34 sees 


5,760 


93 sees 


Microsoft C 3.0 34 sees 


7,146 


119 sees 


Optimized C86 2.20J 53 sees 


11,009 


172 sees 


Mark Williams 2.0 56 sees 


12,980 


113 sees 


Lattice 2.14 89 sees 


20,404 


117 sees 



Great Features: Manx Aztec C86 is bundled with a powerful 

array of well documented productivity tools, library routines 

and features. 

Optimized C compiler Symbolic Debugger 

AS86 Macro Assembler LN86 Overlay Linker 

80186/80286 Support Librarian 

8087/80287 Sensing Lib Profiler 

Extensive UNIX Librae DOS, Screen, & Graphics Lib 

Large Memory Model Intel Object Option 

Z (vi) Source Editor -c CP/M-86 Library -c 

ROM Support Package -c INTEL HEX Utility -c 

Libraiy Source Code -c Mixed memory models -c 

MAKE, DIFF, and GREP -c Source Debugger -c 

One year of updates -c CP/M-86 Library -c 

Manx offers two commercial development systems, 
Aztec C86-c and Aztec C86-d. Items marked -c are 
special features of the Aztec C86-c system. 

Aztec C86-c Commercial System $499 

Aztec C86-d Developer's System $299 

Aztec C86-p Personal System $199 

Aztec C86-a Apprentice System $49 

All systems are upgradable by paying the difference 
in price plus $10. 

Third Party Software: There are a number of high qual- 
ity support packages for Manx Aztec C86 for screen 
management, graphics, database management, and soft- 
ware development. 

C-tree $395 Greenleaf $185 

PHACT $250 PC-lint $98 

HALO $250 Amber Windows $59 

PRE-C $395 Windows for C $195 
WindScreen $149 FirsTime $295 

SunScreen $99 C Util Lib $185 

PANEL $295 Plink-86 $395 



MACINTOSH, AMIGA, XENIX, 
CP/M-68K, 68k ROM 

Manx Aztec C68k 

"Library handling is very flexible . . . documentation is 
excellent ... the shell a pleasure to work in . . . blows 
away the competition for pure compile speed ...an ex- 
cellent effort:' 

Computer Language review, April 1985 
Aztec C68k is the most widely used commercial C com- 
piler for the Macintosh. Its quality, performance, and 
completeness place Manx Aztec C68k in a position be- 
yond comparison. It is available in several upgradable 
versions. 

Optimized C Creates Clickable Applications 

Macro Assembler Mouse Enhanced SHELL 
Overlay Linker Easy Access to Mac Toolbox 

Resource Compiler UNIX Library Functions 
Debuggers Terminal Emulator (Source) 

Librarian Clear Detailed Documentation 

Source Editor C-Stuff Library 

MacRam Disk -c UniTools (vi,make,diff,grep) -c 

Library Source -c One Year of Updates -c 

Items marked -c are available only in the Manx Aztec 
C86-c system. Other features are in both the Aztec C86-d 
and Aztec C86-c systems. 

Aztec C68k-c Commercial System $499 

Aztec C68d-d Developer's System $299 

Aztec C68k-p Personal System $199 

C-tree database (source) $399 

AMIGA, CP/M-68k, 68k UNIX call 

Apple n, Commodore, 
65xx, 65C02 ROM 

Manx Aztec C65 

"The AZTEC C system is one of the finest software 
packages I have seen" 

NIBBLE review, July 1984 

A vast amount of business, consumer, and educational 
software is implemented in Manx Aztec C65. The quality 
and comprehensiveness of this system is competitive 
with 16 bit C systems. The system includes a full optim- 
ized C compiler, 6502 assembler, linkage editor, UNIX 
library, screen and graphics libraries, shell, and much 
more. The Apple II version runs under DOS 3.3, and 
ProDOS, Cross versions are available. 

The Aztec C65-c/128 Commodore system runs under 
the C128 CP/M environment and generates programs for 
the C64, C128, and CP/M environments. Call for prices 
and availability of Apprentice, Personal and Developer 
versions for the Commodore 64 and 128 machines. 

Aztec C65-c ProDOS & DOS 3.3 $399 
Aztec C65-d Apple DOS 3.3 $199 

Aztec C65-p Apple Personal system $99 
Aztec C65-a for learning C $49 

Aztec C65-c/128 C64, C128, CP/M $399 

Distribution of Manx Aztec C 

In the USA, Manx Software Systems is the sole and ex- 
clusive distributor of Aztec C. Any telephone or mail 
order sales other than through Manx are unauthorized. 



Manx Cross Development Systems 

Cross developed programs are edited, compiled, assem- 
bled, and linked on one machine (the HOST) and trans- 
ferred to another machine (the TARGET) for execution. 
This method is useful where the target machine is slower 
or more limited than the HOST, Manx cross compilers 
are used heavily to develop software for business, 
consumer, scientific, industrial, research, and education- 
al applications. 

HOSTS: VAX UNIX ($3000), PDP-11 UNIX ($2000), MS- 
DOS ($750), CP/M ($750), MACINTOSH ($750), 
CP/M-68k ($750), XENIX ($750). 

TARGETS: MS-DOS, CP/M-86, Macintosh, CP/M-68k, 
CP/M-80, TRS-80 3 & 4, Apple II, Commodore C64, 
8086/80x86 ROM, 68xxx ROM, 8080/8085/Z80 ROM, 
65xx ROM. 

The first TARGET is included in the price of the HOST 
system. Additional TARGETS are $300 to $500 (non 
VAX) or $1000 (VAX). 

Call Manx for information on cross development to the 
68000, 65816, Amiga, C128, CP/M-68K, VRTX, and 
others. 

CP/M, Radio Shack, 
8080/8085/Z80 ROM 
Manx Aztec CII 

"I've had a lot of experience with different C compilers, 
but the Aztec C80 Compiler and Professional Develop- 
ment System is the best I've seen." 

80-Micro, December, 1984, John B. Harrell III 

Aztec C n-c (CP/M & ROM) $349 

Aztec Cll-d (CP/M) $199 

C-tree database (source) $399 

Aztec C80-c (TRS-80 3 & 4) $299 

Aztec C80-d (TRS-80 3 & 4) $199 

How lb Become an Aztec C User 

To become an Aztec C user call 1-800-221-0440 or call 
1-800-832-9273 (800-TEC WARE). In NJ or outside the 
USA call 201-530-7997. Orders can also be telexed to 
4995812. 

Payment can be by check, COD, American Express, 
VISA, Master Card, or Net 30 to qualified customers. 

Orders can also be mailed to Manx Software Systems, 
Box 55, Shrewsbury, NJ 07701. 

How lb Get More Information 

lb get more information on Manx Aztec C and related 
products, call 1-800-221-0440, or 201-530-7997, or write 
to Manx Software Systems. 

30 Day Guarantee 

Any Manx Aztec C development system can be return- 
ed within 30 days for a refund if it fails to meet your 
needs. The only restrictions are that the original pur- 
chase must be directly from Manx, shipped within the 
USA, and the package must be in resalable condition. 
Returned items must be received by Manx within 30 
days. A small restocking fee may be required. 

Discounts 

There are special discounts available to professors, 
students, and consultants. A discount is also available on 
a "trade in" basis for users of competing systems. Call for 
information. 

Inquiry 222 



To order or for information call; 

800-221-0440 



Which Master 

Would 

Your Slaves 

Recommend? 




OurNewCPZ-186 
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Inquiry 1 72 for End-Users. 
Inquiry 173 for DEALERS ONLY. 



ASK BYTE 



a flip-flop circuit (as in static memory), 
dynamic RAM requires a periodic refresh 
pulse to offset the effects of the 
capacitor's leakage. This refresh pulse is 
provided either by the processor (such 
as the Z80's refresh pin) or some other 
timed- pulse generating circuitry. 

As far as converting a Radio Shack 
computer to run an operating system 
other than what it was designed for, I sug- 
gest you visit your local Radio Shack com- 
puter store and discuss the details of this 
with them. Steve 

VERSACARD 

Dear Steve, 

I have a problem with my Prometheus 
VERSAcard in my Apple II. I've sent 
several letters to the manufacturer with no 
reply. 

When I use my Signalman Mark XII 
modem at 1200 bps. the VERSAcard 
drops between five and eight characters 
following each carriage return. This occurs 
in either a 40- or 80-column display. I've 
tried four terminal programs with the 
same result. I've also tried the modem on 
two other computers with no problem. Do 
you have any ideas? 

Steve Nelson 
Euless, TX 

This type of problem is frequently due 
to incompatible or inadequate handshak- 
ing signals: The VERSAcard and the 
modem may not know who's going to do 
what, and when. I would suspect the DTR 
(data terminal ready) signal, pin 20, on 
the standard DB-25 connector. On the 
VERSAcard, this line is tied permanent- 
ly high. The Signalman modem, in its 
default configuration, uses this line to 
determine when the VERSAcard is ready 
for more data. 

As characters are received through the 
modem and serial card, the terminal pro- 
gram stores them in a buffer (frequently, 
the Apple's keyboard-input buffer is used 
for this purpose). When a carriage-return 
character is received, the terminal pro- 
gram signals the modem to stop send- 
ing data and processes this buffer. If the 
modem doesn't receive this signal, it will 
continue sending characters and the ter- 
minal program will miss some characters. 

If the DTR signal is the cause of your 
problem, the solution is probably at- 
tained most easily in software. You should 
configure your modem to ignore the DTR 
line, then implement a suitable software 
handshaking protocol, like the XON/ 
XOFF protocol. The terminal program 
you are using will determine which soft- 



ware protocols you can use. Two terminal 
programs that work well with the VERSA- 
card /Signal man combination are ASCII 
Express, from United Software, and 
Modem Magician, available from 
A.P.P.L.E. Co-op, 290 Southwest 43rd St., 
Renton, WA 98055,-Steve 

Music, Music, Music 

Dear Steve. 

Some friends and I are developing soft- 
ware for producing printed output in 
musical notation from data input by a 
musical keyboard. At the moment, we are 
using a Wersi organ because it delivers 
logical MIDI (musical instrument digital in- 
terface) data in physical RS-232C format. 
This organ is very expensive, and we 
would like to use a much cheaper MIDI 
keyboard. Since the computer we are 
using has only an RS-232C serial interface, 
we will need a MIDI-to-RS-232C converter. 
Do you know of any such converter? 

Erich Neuwirth 
Vienna, Austria 

Ferro Productions (228 Washington 
Ave., Belleville, N J 07109, (201) 751-6238) 
has written several tutorials on the MIDI 
and music synthesis. According to a com- 
pany source, they will be releasing a new 
MIDI course in the next few months. In 
addition, a book will be available that 
also covers this subject. Contact the com- 
pany for information concerning the 
course. 

The book, MIDI and Related Interfaces, 
will be available through 

Cherry Lane Music 
POB 430 

Port Chester, NY 10573 
(914) 937-8601 

You should also check into MIDI boards 
that plug directly into most personal 
computers. Cherry Lane Music carries 
such hardware, as does 

Syntech Corporation 
23958 Craftsman Rd. 
Calabasas, CA 91302 
(818) 704-8509 

—Steve 



Hardware Education 

Dear Steve, 

I have been in the computer field for 
about six years and have done mostly 
software work. My only hardware project 
was building an S-100 system for my own 
use. 

[continued) 



48 B YTE ■ JANUARY 1986 



PC Paintbrush". 

Because life is too short for 

monochrome pie charts. 



Fun 

is the best thing 

to have. 

With PC Paintbrush, you can add color, flair, 
dimension and creativity to a chart, a pre- 
sentation, or an otherwise dull day. From 
charts and graphs to serious computer art, 
our newest generation 3.0 PC Paintbrush 
will cheer you on with features no other 
graphics package can match. 

Best of all, it's easy to use. You don't have 
to learn up to sixty commands, like you do 
with some products. If you can understand 
icons as simple as scissors, paintbrush, 
spray can and paint roller, you're ready to 
start using PC Paintbrush. 

The pen is mightier 
than the keyboard. 

None of history's great artists drew with a 
keyboard, and you shouldn't have to either. 
So PC Paintbrush is now available with a 
cordless Pen Mouse, to give you complete 
freedom of expression. Of course, it also 
supports regular mice, joysticks, graphics 
tablets, and is compatible with most 
graphics cards. 

PC Paintbrush also has a beautiful way 
with words. The text icon lets you write in 
any of eleven fonts, in nine sizes, with italics, 
outline, shadow and boldface variations. 

What's more, with the new 3.0 PC 
Paintbrush, you can draw rounded boxes, 
rubber band curves and circles, and edit 
pictures many times larger than the screen. 

Are we making fun 
of 1-2-3®? Why not? 

For Lotus™ users, PC Paintbrush's new PIC 



Go on, live a little. 




interpreter loads 1-2-3™ and Symphony™ 
charts and graphs at your equipment's 
best resolution, from an IBM EGA™ (640 
X 350 X 16 colors) to a Number Nine 
Revolution™ (512 X 512 X 256 colors). 
With our FRIEZE™ frame grabber you 
can pull graphics created by any program 
right off the screen into PC Paintbrush. So 
you can take your Paintbrush and pallette 
anywhere, improving the looks of things 
as you go. And having a lot of fun on the 
way. In addition, our optional presentation 
package, PC PRESENTATION, allows you to 
program your graphics into a first class 
presentation with fades, zooms, quick 
cuts and animation. 



PC Paintbrush supports 19 videographics 
cards and 30 printers and plotters. 

For more information on PC Paintbrush, 
call or write us at the address below, or ask 
your computer dealer for 
a demonstration. 




Z-SOFT 

PC Paintbrush 



Corporate Headquarters: 

ZSof t Corporation, 1 950 Spectrum Circle, Suite A 495, Marietta, GA 30067, 404/980-1 950 

West Const Soles Office* 

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PC Paintbrush i s a trademark of ZSoft Corporation. Lotus, 1-2-3, and Symphony are registered trademarks o f Lotus Development Corporation. 
IBM and Enhance GraphicsAdapterare registered trademarks of International Business Machines,Corp. Number Nine Revolution is a trodemark of Number Nine ComputerCorp. 



Inquiry 401 for End-Users. Inquiry 402 for DEALERS ONLY. 

; 



JANUARY 1986 • BYTE 49 



THE DIGITAL 

SOUND 
SENSATION 




MUSIC 

The fascination behind music is 
man's triumph upon mastering it. 
WERSI's new DMS Instruments, 
with their live recorded sounds of 
acoustical instruments and com- 
plexity of an entire symphonic or- 
chestra, now open new ways of 
actively making music for everybody. 

KIT BUILDING 

WERSI's unique modular system 
offers expandability, updateability 
and great savings. The wide variety 
of products— from digital keyboards 
to rhythm devices to full size digital 
organs and pianos — all have two 
things in common: they are avail- 
able in kit form, as well as fully fac- 
tory assembled, and they all are 
capable of communicating perfectly 
with home computers. 

COMPUTERS 

How about buying floppy disks in- 
stead of record albums? Use your 
computer with a DMS device or in- 
strument hookup to turn digital 
information into record quality 
music. Or how about composing, 
recording and printing out sheet 
music using your computer equip- 



ment? 



Inquiry 380 



€>2i@aa] 



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Call 1-800-233-3865 
(In PA 717-299-4327) 



WEST: 14104 E. Firestone 
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90670. Call 1-800-221-9590 
(Outside CA: 213-802-2891) 



CANADA: 252 Railway 
Ave.Jreherne, Manitoba 
Canada R06-2V0 
Call 204-723-2366 



ASK BYTE 



I am writing for some advice on how I 
can learn about hardware, enough so that 
I will be able to troubleshoot and repair 
microprocessor systems. 

If you could recommend some books or 
courses. I would greatly appreciate it. 
Leonard Simon 
Kenvil, Nf 

A good way to learn a subject is to 
familiarize yourself with the selection of 
books at your local library on the topic 
of interest. This is also an inexpensive ap- 
proach since you don't have to purchase 
books that are either too technical or too 
basic for you. In addition, authors and 
publishers of a book that is useful for a 
particular subject generally publish 
related works, a handy source for con- 
tacts. You can also stop by a well-stocked 
bookstore and browse through its selec- 
tion of electronics and computer-related 
publications. 1 have found many interest- 
ing books this way. 

Howard W. Sams publishes a set of five 
books called Basic Electricity and Elec- 
tronics. Each book sells for $10.95. A few 
more useful books from Sams are Digital 
Logic Circuits: Tests and Analysis by 
Robert G. Middleton ($16.95) and Micro- 
processor Circuits by Edward M. Noll 
($9.95 for each of two volumes). All these 
books can be obtained from the pub- 
lisher or from the following company: 

Hughes-Peters Inc. 
481 East Eleventh Ave. 
Columbus, OH 43211 
(614) 294-5351 

The use of home-study courses and 
technical schools provides for the best 
training. You are offered assistance when 
required and receive feedback as to your 
progress and knowledge in the form of 
grades.— Steve ■ 



IN ASK BYTE. Steve Garcia answers questions on 
any area of microcomputing. The most representative 
questions received each month will be answered and 
published. Do you have a nagging problem? Send 
your inquiry to 

Ask BYTE 

do Steve Garcia 

POB 582 

Glastonbury. CT 06033 
Due to the high volume of inquiries, personal replies 
cannot be given. All letters and photographs become 
the property of Steve Garcia and cannot be returned. 
Be sure to include "Ask BYTE" in the address. 

The Ask BYTE staff includes manager Harv 
Weiner and researchers Yarry Bregoli. Bill Curlew. 
\eannette Do Jan. ]on Elson. Roger ]ames. Frank 
Kuechmann. Dick Sawyer. Andy Siska. and Robert 
Stek. 



MICROSOFT LANGUAGES NEWSLETTER 



Vol. 1-1 



News about the Microsoft Language Family 



Faster Macro Assembler 4*00 release developed in Microsoft C 

By porting the new Macro Assembler 4.00 release to Microsoft C, it assembles programs from 
2 to 3 times faster than the previous Microsoft 3.00 and IBM® 2.00 releases. The mixed language 
and memory model support unique to Microsoft C allowed the new assembler to be written as a 
small model program using the more efficient Pascal calling conversions for all internal functions. 
Macro text, symbol names and file buffers were moved out of the 64K "near" workspace into "far" 
memory allowing much larger programs to be assembled. Additional performance tuning was 
possible in C by using register variables throughout the assembler. Final profiling identified a few 
critical small routines to write in assembly language. 

The source symbolic debugger, SYMDEB, has been enhanced to include screen swapping, stack 
backtracing, DOS command execution, better source display and debugging features making this 
the ideal tool for debugging programs. The 25% faster LINK and the EXEPACK utility can compress 
executable files by removing common sequences and optimizing the relocation tables. The MAKE 
utility now supports macros and inference rules. 

We are committed to making the complete Macro Assembler product the best value in PC 
development tools. 



News for Microsoft and IBM COBOL users 

The new Microsoft® COBOL 2.1 release for MS-DOS® and XENIX® features faster execution 
and support for the new COBOL Tools package which contains VIEWCOB, COBREF, Menu Handler, 
and CBMOUSE (MS-DOS only). VIEWCOB is an interactive symbolic debugger with an easy-to- 
learn, menu-driven user interface which supports on-line help and up to 10 windows on your source 
text, variables, memory, and procedi re traces. The COBOL trace mode highlights each statement 
as it is executed. COBREF is an advanced COBOL cross reference generator mat displays lists of 
files/variables with types, and procedures. Menu Handler and CBMOUSE allow the COBOL 
programmer to create menu-driven applications to interface to the Microsoft Mouse. 



Microsoft C Selected for the IBM personal computer C compiler 

The IBM C compiler is a repackaging of the Microsoft C Compiler with a few utilities from the 
Microsoft Macro Assembler product. A XENIX version of the same compiler is part of Microsoft's 
XENIX system V release. IBM also distributes Microsoft BASIC, COBOL, FORTRAN, and Pascal 
compilers, BASIC interpreter and Macro Assembler under its own logo. Microsoft offers special ' 
upgrade pricing to owners of certain Microsoft languages purchased through IBM. Call us for more 
information. 



Write to: MICROSOFT Languages Newsletter 

10700 Northup Way Box 97200 

Bellevue, WA 98009 for product update and information. 

Or phone: 

(800) 426-9400. In Washington State and Alaska, 

(206) 828-8088. In Canada, call (416) 673-7638. 



Microsoft, XENIX and MS-DOS are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. IBM is a registered trademark 
of International Business Machines Corporation. 



Latest DOS Versions: 




C 


3.00 


COBOL 


2.10 


FORTRAN 


3.31 


Macro Assembler 


4.00 


Pascal 


3.31 


QuickBASIC 


1.00 



JANUARY 1986 • BYTE 51 



THE WORLD'S LARGEST COMPUTER MAIL ORDER FIRM 



#B33 



EXCtSS 



kttW' 



# 



TELEX 970 380 3980 



(ALL 




MAIL: 12060 SW Garden Place, Portland, OR 97223) 
FOR YOUR APPLE 



COMPUTERS 



BUSINESS SOFTWARE UTILITIES SOFTWARE 



^pppkz 



lie, lie, Mac 



IN STOCK, CALL 



LIST CONROY 
PRICE PRICE 



LIST CONROY 

AEGIS, Challenger or Pyramid, ea. $ 50 $ 37 

ASSIMILATION, Numeric Turbo $ 149 $ 109 

Mac Port Adaptor $ 79 $ 59 

BLUECHIP, Millionaire, Barron, Tycoon, ea. S 60 $ 38 

BORLAND, Sidekick (copiable) $ 65 $ 45 

CENTRAL POINT, Copy II Mac $ 40 $ 22 
CONROY-LA POINTE, Diskettes SEE BELOW 

CONTINENTAL, Home Accountant $ 100 $ 65 

CREIGHTON, Home Pak or Mac Office, ea. $ 39 $ 33 

Mac Spell + $ 99 $ 61 

DOW JONES, Market Manager Plus $ 249 $ 159 

EXPERTELLIGENCE, ExperLogo $ 150 $ 95 

FIRST BYTE, Smooth Talker $ 100 $ 63 

FORETHOUGHT, Fact Finder $ 150 $ 95 

HABA, 400K Ext. Disk Drive $ 449 $ 339 

800K DS/DD Ext. Drive $ 599 $ 489 

HAYDEN, Sargon III $ 50 $ 31 

HUMAN EDGE, Mind Prober $ 50 $ 29 

INFOCOM, Hitchhiker's Guide $ 40 $ 25 

KOALA, Mac Vision $ 400 $ 229 

LIVING VIDEOTEXT, Think Tank $145$ 92 

LOTUS, Jazz S 595 $ 389 

MANHATTAN, ReadySetGo $ 125 $ 69 

MEGAHAUS, Megaform S 295 $ 189 

MICROSOFT, Business Pak $ 595 $ 399 

Excel $ 395 $ 248 

Multiplan, Word, or File, each $ 195 $ 129 

Fortran $ 295 $ 199 

MILES, Mac the Knife, v. 1 $ 39 $ 25 

MONOGRAM, Dollars & Sense $ 150 $ 89 

NOVATION, Smartest Plus Modem w/Software $ 499 $ 349 

ODESTA, Helix S 395 S 249 

PROVUE, Overvue $ 295 $ 195 

SIMON & SCHUSTER, Typing Tutor 111 $ 60 $ 39 

SOFTW. PUBL..PFS: File & Report Combo $ 175 $ 105 

STATE OF THE ART, Electronic Checkbook $ 80 $ 50 

STONEWARE, DB Master $ 195 S 125 

TELOS, File Vision $ 195 $ 119 

VIDEX, MacCalendar $ 89 $ 49 

WARNER, Desk Organizer $ 149 $ 99 



FLOPPY DISK DRIVES 





LIST CONROY 


MICRO-SCI, A2 Disk Drive, 143K 


$ 269 $ 159 


A2 Controller Card 


$ 100 $ 59 


Half Height Drive for II +/lle 


f 269 $ 159 


Half Height Drive for lie 


$ 299 $ 169 


TEAC, T40 Half Ht, 163K, Direct 


$ 249 $ 149 


Controller Card for T40 by ComX 


$ 79 $ 45 



ALS, Word or List Handler, ea. 
Handler Pak (Word/List/Spell) 
APPLE, Appleworks 
ASHTON-TATE, dBase II (Req CP/M 8 
BPI, AR, AP, PR or INV, each 
DATA TRANS, Fontrix 
DOW JONES, Market Analyzer 
HOWARD SOFT, '86 Tax Preparer 



$ 80 
$ 170 
$ 250 
IS 495 
S 395 
$ 95 
$ 349 
$ 295 



HARD DISKS 



IOMEGA, 5 meg Bernoulli Box f/Mac $1995 $1595 
QUARK, QC10 for llc/lle/lll/MAC $1995 $1175 



OTHER HARDWARE 



APPLE, Mouse for lie $ 150 CALL 

CCS, 7711 or 771 0-A Interface, ea. $ 115 $ 95 
CPS/EASTSIDE, Wild Card II (copier, +/e) $ 140 $ 79 
COMX, 16K RAM Card {II +),1yr ltd wty $ 119 $ 39 
HAYES, Mach II, III Joysticks (II + /lie) CALL 

KENSINGTON, System Saver Fan $ 90 $ 65 
KEY TRONIC, KB200 Keyboard ( + ) $ 398 $ 248 
KOALA, Muppet Keys $ 80 $ 44 

Touch Tablet w/Micro Illustrator (+/e) $ 130 $ 75 
KRAFT, Joystick (lle/llc) $ 50 $ 25 

MICRO-SCI, 80 Col. Card + 64K RAM Card (lie) $ 1 79 $ 89 
MICROSOFT, Z80 Softcard II, 64K $ 425 $ 269 
ORANGE MICRO, Buffered GrapplerPlus. 16K S 209 $ 145 

16K Buffer Board for Grappler Plus $ 99 $ 59 

Hot Link, S-P cable for lie $ 70 $ 44 

TITAN, Accelerator lie $ 319 $ 229 

128KRAMCard{ll + ) $ 329 $ 149 

TRACKHOUSE, Numeric Key Pad (lie) $ 100 $ 87 
VIDEO 7, V Color 7 RGB Card $ 150 $ 129 

V Color lie $ 130 $ 89 

V Color lie $ 250 $ 169 
VIDEX, UltraTerm 132 Col. (II + /lie) $ 299 $ 189 

VideoTerm 80 Col. Card (II + /lie) $ 279 $ 175 
WICO, Smartcard (spec. Il/ll + /lle) S 199 $ 159 



HUMAN EDGE, Sales or Mgmt Edge, ea. $ 250 

LIVING VIDEOTEXT, Think Tank $ 145 

MEGAHAUS, Megaworks $ 125 

MICRO PRO, WordStar (req. CP/M) $ 350 

WordStar w/ Starcard $ 495 

WordStar Professional, 4 Pak $ 495 

MICROSOFT, Multi-Plan (Ap DOS) $ 95 

QUARK, Word Juggler & Lexicheck (lle/llc) $ 99 

SATELLITE, Word Perfect $ 179 

SENSIBLE, Sensible Speller $ 125 

SIERRA/ON-LINE, Screen Writer II $ 130 

SOFTWARE PUBL, PFS:File or Write, each $ 125 

PFS:Graph or Report, each $ 125 

PFS:Access $ 70 

First Success (F/R/W) $225 

SPRINGBOARD, Newsroom $ 50 

STONEWARE, DB Master, v. 4 + S 350 



$ 36 
$ 73 
$ 225 
$ 289 
$ 240 
$ 63 
$ 219 
$ 199 
$ 139 
$ 89 
$ 79 
$ 189 
$ 265 
S 265 
S 65 
$ 79 
$ 115 
$ 79 
$ 89 
$ 79 
$ 79 
$ 43 
$ 145 
$ 32 
$ 189 



LIST COKR0Y 
PRICE PRICE 

PENGUIN, Graphics Magician $ 60 S 41 

QUALITY, Bag of Tricks $ 40 $ 29 

UNITED SWI, ASCII Express-Pro DOS $ 130 $ 82 

UTILICO, Essential Data Duplicator III S 80 S 49 



HOME & EDUCATIONAL 



UTILITIES SOFTWARE 



BEAGLE, GPLE or Alpha Plot, ea $ 50 $ 27 

Pronto DOS or Disk Quick, ea $ 30 $ 19 

Apple Mechanic or I.O. Silver $ 30 $ 19 

BORLAND, Turbo Pascal (req. CP/M) $ 70 S 36 

Turbo Toolbox S 55 S 30 

CENTRAL POINT Copy II Plus (bit copier) $ 40 $ 22 

EPSON, Graphics Dump $ 15 $ 7 

FUNK, Sideways $ 60 $ 37 

HAYES, Terminal Prog, for Smartmodem $ 99 S 65 

MICROSOFT, Full Line IN STOCK CALL 

MICROSTUF, Crosstalk $ 195 $ 109 

OMEGA, Locksmith $ 100 $ 73 

PENGUIN, Complete Graphics System II $ 80 $ 49 



BARRONS, Study for SAT 


$ 90 S 


60 


BEAGLE BROS., Full Line IN STOCK CALL 


BRODERBUND, Print Shop 


$ 50 $ 


31 


Print Shop & Refill 


$ 65 S 


39 


Bank St. Mailer or Filer, ea. 


$ 70 $ 


45 


Bank St. Writer or Speller, ea 


$ 70 $ 


45 


Bank St. Combo (Writer & Speller) 


$ 140 $ 


85 


CONTINENTAL, Home Accountant 


$ 75 $ 


43 


HARCOURT, Computer SAT 


$ 80 $ 


51 


KOALA, Full Line IN STOCK 


CALL 


MICROSOFT, Typing Tulor II 


S 25 $ 


17 


MINDSCAPE, Crossword Magic 


$ 50 $ 


35 


MONOGRAM, Dollars & Sense (11 + /lie) 


$ 100 $ 


59 


Dollars & Sense (llc/lle 128K) 


$ 120 $ 


69 


Forecast 


S 60 S 


38 


SCARBOROUGH, Mastertype 


| 40 S 


25 


Your Personal Net Worth 


$ 80 $ 


50 


SIERRA/ON-LINE, Homeword 


$ 70 $ 


45 


SIMON & SCHUSTER, Typing Tutor HI S 50 $ 


33 


RECREATIONAL SOFTWARE 


BLUECHIP, Millionaire or Barron, ee 


. $ 50 S 


35 


ELECTRONIC ARTS, Bard's Tale 


$ 45 $ 


35 


Sky Fox & others, ea. 


S 40 S 


29 


Movie Maker 


S 40 S 


30 


Deluxe Music Construction 


S 50 S 


37 


Dr. J & Larry Bird 


$ 40 S 


30 


HAYDEN, Sargon III (Chess) 


S 50 S 


30 


INFOCOM, Zork I, II, or III, ea 


S 40 S 


29 


MICROPROSE, Strike Eagle 


S 35 S 


23 


ORIGIN, Ultima III 


$ 60 S 


39 


Ultima IV 


S 64 $ 


44 


PENGUIN, Transylvania 


S 35 $ 


24 


SPECTRUM HOLOBYTE, Gato (128K) S 40 $ 


25 


SPINNAKER, Full Line IN STOCK 


CALL 


SUB LOGIC, Flight Simulator II 


S 50 S 


30 



DISKETTES 



• CONROY-LAPOINTE" DISKETTES • 

We guarantee these top quality products with our name. 
5 YEAR LIMITED WARRANTY. 

10ea.SS/SD, (Apple, etc) 35 Trk,W7FLIP BOX $ 13 
100 ea./1000 ea. SS/SD, 35 Trk $99/ $669 

10 ea. SS/DD,3V2"(MAC.H/P).W/FLIPBOX $ 25 
50 ea./100 ea. SS/DD, 3W $115/ $235 

10ea.DS/DD,(IBM,H/P)40Trk.W/FLIPBOX $ 16 
100 ea./1000 ea. DS/DD, 4 Trk $119/ $799 

10 ea. DS/HD, (IBM-AT) 96 TPI W/FLIP BOX $ 29 
100 ea. DS/HD, (IBM-AT) 96 TPI $ 269 

IBM PREFORMATTED 

10 ea.. DS/DD, 40 Trk W/FLIP BOX $ 20 

100 ea./1000 ea.. DS/DD, 40 Trk $149/ $959 

SINGLE-SIDED, DOUBLE DENSITY 

list CONROY 
CDC, 10 ea, SS/DD, 40 Trk (Apple, etc) $ 45 $ 19 
DYSAN, 10 ea. SS/DD. (Apple, etc.) $ 40 $ 24 
MAXELL, 10 ea. SS/DD. MD1 (Apple) $ 47 $ 19 
VERBATIM, 1 ea, SS/DD. MD515-01, (Apple) $ 4 9 $ 17 

DOUBLE-SIDED, DOUBLE DENSITY 

CDC, 10 ea. DS/DD. 40Trk(IBM, H/P) $ 59 $ 23 

DYSAN, 10 ea, DS/DD, (IBM, H/P) $ 69 $ 27 

MAXELL, 10 ea, DS/DD. MD2 (IBM) $ 65 $ 21 

VERBATIM, 10ea,DS/DD,MD34(IBM)$ 75$ 21 

3Yi" MICRO DISKETTES 

MAXELL, 10 ea. SS/DD (MAC. H/P) $ 55 $ 28 

MEMOREX, 10 ea. SS/DD (MAC. H/P) $ 60 $ 33 

VERBATIM, 10 ea, SS/DD (MAC, H/P) $ 65 $ 32 

HIGH DENSITY DISKETTES FOR IBM-AT 

MAXELL, 10 ea. DS/HD (IBM-AT) $ 75 $ 49 

MEMOREX, 10 ea. DS/HD (IBM-AT) $ 84 $ 49 

• GENERIK DISKETTES • 

Top quality, w/jackets, no labels. Quantity discounts. 
90 day "No hassle, money back guarantee." 

100 ea. SS/SD, 35 Track (Apple, etc) $ 75 

100 ea, DS/DD, 40 Track, (IBM, H/P) $ 79 

10 ea. DS/HD. (IBM-AT) 96 TPI $ 27 

100 ea. DS/HD. (IBM-AT) 96 TPI $ 249 



MODEMS 



LIST C0KR0Y 

HAYES, 2400 External Modem $ 899 $ 619 

Smartmodem 1200B (IBM) $ 549 

Smartcom II Software (IBM or MAC) $ 149 
Smartmodem 1200 (External) $ 599 

Micromodem lie w/Smartcom (AP) $ 199 
Transet 1000 - 128K $ 399 

Transet 1000 Access Paks AP/IBM/MAC $ 40 

NOVATION, Apple Cat II 300 Baud (AP) $ 389 
2400 External $ 795 

212 Apple Cat, 1200 Baud (AP) $ 595 
SmartCat Plus w/software (MAC) $ 499 $ 

PROMETHEUS, 1200 Standalone Modem $ 495 $ 
ProModem 1200 w/software (MAC) $ 549 $ 399 
ProModem 1200A (AP) $ 449 $ 329 

ProModem 300C (AP lie) $ 199 $ 149 

ProModem 1200B (IBM) $ 399 $ 289 

VENTEL. PC Halfcard (IBM) $ 549 $ 389 



379 

107 

419 

149 

309 

35 

$ 219 

$ 595 

$ 409 

349 

349 



MONITORS 


AMDEK, 300G, 12" Green/Comp 


$ 179 $ 119 


300A. 12" Amber/Comp 


$ 199 $ 129 


310A, 12" Amber/IBM 


$ 230 $ 159 


Color 300, Comp/Audio 


$ 349 $ 239 


Color 500, Comp or RGB/ Audio 


$ 525 $ 299 


Color 600, Hi Res RGB/Audio 


$ 599 $ 399 


PRINCETON, MAX-12, Amber (IBM) 


$ 249 $ 179 


HX-12. Hi Res/RGB 


$ 795 $ 445 


HX-12e, Hi Res/RGB/for IBM-EGA 


$ 785 $ 559 


SR-12. Hi Res/RGB 


$ 799 $ 599 


OUADRAM, Amberchrome, 12" 


$ 250 $ 149 


ZENITH, ZVM-1220. 12" Amber/Comp $ 159 $ 109 


ZVM-1230. 12" Green/Comp 


$ 159 $ 109 


ZVM-1240 & ZVM-135 


15-25% OFF 



CABLES 



arbo, IdM-po to Modem oaoie 5 31 5 19 

ASTAR, RF Modulator forT.V. (Apple) $ 35 $ 20 

COMPUCABLE, Mac/Hayes Smartmodem Cable $ 32$ 18 

CURTIS, Monitor Extension Cable (IBM) $ 50 $ 32 

3'-9' Keyboard Extens. Cable (IBM) $ 40 S 26 

RCA, Monitor Cable $ 15 $ 6 



PRINTERS 



DOT MATRIX: LIST C onroy 

EPSON, FX85- 160 cps DO/32 cps NLQ/10"$ 499 $ 389 
FX185 - 160 cps DQ/32 cps NLQ/15" $ 699 $ 539 
LX80 - 100 cps DQ/16 cps NLQ $ 299 $ 249 
LQ1500 - 200 cps DQ/67 cps LQ $1295 $ 995 
Tractor feed for LX80 $ 40 $ 33 

Tractor feed for LQ1500 $ 70 $ 55 

Tractor feed for FX85 $ 45 $ 35 

HEWLETT-PACKARD, Laserjet $3495 CALL 

Thinkjet - 150 cps Inkjet $ 495 CALL 

OKIDATA, Okimate 20. 182, 84 LOW PRICES 

92. 192. 193. 2410 Pacemark IN STOCK 

PANASONIC, P1092 - 180 cps/10" $ 599 $ 399 
1093 $ 699 $ 469 

QUADRAM, Quadjet-lnkjet Color $ 895 $ 395 

STAR MICRO, SG10 - 120 cps DQ/30 cps NLQ $ 299 $ 249 
SD10 - 160 cps DQ, 40 cps NLQ $ 449 $ 379 
SR15 - 200 cps DQ, 50 cps NLQ, 16K $ 799 $ 679 

TEXAS INSTRUMENTS,855-150cps$ 995 $ 689 

TOSHIBA, 351 - 288 cps $1695 $1195 

LETTER-QUALITY: 

JUKI, 6300 - 40cps/para. $ 895 S 699 

6100 - 18 cps/para/3 pitch $ 599 $ 409 

Sheet Feeder for 6300 (single) 5 275 $ 225 

PANASONIC, P3151 - 22 Cps/15Va" S 659 $ 439 
TOSHIBA, Prop, spacing &hi-res graphics: 

1340 - 144 cps DQ & 54 cps LQ $ 799 $ 519 

Bi-direction Tractor Feed $ 195 $ 175 

PLOTTERS: 

EPSON, 4 Pen Plotter $ 599 CALL 

HEWLETT-PACKARD, 8 Pen Plotter $3900 CALL 

PRINTER SUPPLIES: 

CONROY LAPOINTE, 

Colored Paper Pack (250 sheets) $ 13 S 8 

PAPER: White, Colored. Laser Cut, etc. 
RIBBONS, DAISYWHEELS IN STOCK 



PRINTER INTERFACES 
AND BUFFERS 



LIST CONROY 
PRICE PRICE 

ARBO, IBM-PC to Para Printer Cable $ 36 $ 25 
Switchbox, TS-0902 $ 95 $ 59 

ASSIMILATION, Mac to Epson Conn l/F S 89 $ 69 
Daisywheel Connection $ 99 $ 80 

EPSON, Parallel Interface for LQ1500 $ 100 $ 79 
Serial Interface Board $ 130 $ 110 

OKIDATA, Plug ' n Play, Tractors, Okigraph CALL 

ORANGE MICRO, Grappler Plus for Apple $ 145 $ 95 
Serial Grappler $ 119 $ 79 

Buffered Grappler Plus, 16K $ 209 $ 145 

Hot Link, S-P cable for lie $70$ 44 

Grappler C $ 119 $ 75 

QUADRAM, Microfazers, Full Line IN STOCK CALL 

Microfazers 8K, P-P, w/copy $ 189 $ 139 

SMT, Apple II l/F & Cable $ 89 $ 39 

STAR MICRO, Mac/Star Interface $ 100 $ 89 



ACCESSORIES 



CURTIS, Diamond. 6 outlets, switched $ 50 $ 



60 $ 

90 $ 

80 $ 

45 $ 

70 $ 

S 100 $ 

$ 60 $ 



Emerald . 6 outlets, 6' cord 

Ruby, 6 outlets. 6' cord, filter 

Sapphire, 3 outlets, w/filter 
EPD, Lemon, 6 outlets/wall 

Lime, 6 outlets/cord 

Orange, 6 outlets/cord/filter 

Peach, 3 outlets/wall/filter 
INNOVATIVE, Datacase 50 (disk holder) $ 15 $ 
KENSINGTON, Printer Stand $ 30 $ 

NET WORX, Wiretree, 4 outlet/filter/surge $70$ 

Wiretree Plus, 6 outlets/filter/surge $ 100 $ 
PROD TECH INTL, Uninterruptable Power Supply 

200 Watts, PC200 for IBM-PC $ 359 $ 289 

300 Watts, XT300 for IBM-XT $ 499 $ 399 

800 Watts, AT600 for IBM-AT, 72 lbs. $ 899 $ 789 



r 



CONROY- n 
LAPOINTE S - 
CREDIT CARD * 

Send me a ConroyLaPoinle - 
credit application form, so I 
can get cash discount prices 



L 



with credit card 

convenience. 5400 

Minimum initial purchase. 



CITY STATE ZIP 

MAIL TO: 12060 SW Garden Place, Portland, OR 97223 

CREDIT DEPT: (503) 6B4-1232 



HDnCDIMP IMC ft TCDMC- MAIL TO: 12060 SW Garden Place, Portland, OR 97223 -Include telephone number. Check 
VjnUDnlNvjMMrUw I U rl IVI O . your figures for Shipping, Insurance and Handling (SIH). All items usually in stock. NO C0.D. 
Cashiers checks, money orders, Fortune 1000 checks and government checks honored immediately. Personal and other companychecks- allow 20 days to clear. Prices reflect 
3% cash &Conroy-LaPointe Credit Card discount, so ADD 3% to a bove p rices lor VISA/MasterCaid /America n Express . Your card NOT charged til we shp. Gift Certificates available 
in any amount. We ship Federal Express Standard Air. US. & Puerto Rico, add 3% ($5 minimum). Canada, add 12% ($15 min). Foreign, add 18% ($25 min). APO, FP0, 
& other U.S. territories shipped postal, so add 6% ($10 min.). Orders received with insufficient SIH will be held for balance due. All prices, availability and specifications 
subject to errors or change without notice, so call to verify. All goods are new, include warranty and are guaranteed to work. Due to our low prices and our assurance that 
you will get new, unused products-ALL SALES ARE FINAL. We do not guarantee compatibility. Call before returning | goods for repair or replacement. ORDER DESK HOURS -6AM 
to 6PM PST, Monday through Friday, Saturday 8 to 4. PC Mastercard'*, EconoRAM*, Fastrak"". and Generic are trademarks ol Magnum Computer, I nc. 



Inquiry 88 for Apple, Inquiry 89 for IBM Peripherals. Inquiry 90 for all others. 



#B33 




<& 1984, 1985 by Conroy-LaPointe. frjc. AH Rights Reserved 



LOW PRICES TO PROFESSIONALS WHO KNOW WHAT THEY WANT AND KNOW HOW TO USE IT! 



( TO ORDER, CALL (800) 547-12891 } 
FOR YOUR IBM-PC, XT, AT or JR 



COMPUTER SYSTEMS OTHER HARDWARE OTHER HARDWARE MEMORY 



256K KIT 

$32 



gift wrapping 
available. Just ask! A 




A JA$M(/M , 

- r JiiJrB l 5M 8088-2 PC/XT-2 

jjwjggi^ $995 



640K, Two 360K Drives 

Plus: MS-DOS 2.11, Parallel Port, 
2 Serial Ports (RS 232C), Clock/Calendar, 
Floppy Drive & Tape Backup Controller, 
5 slots, 135 Watt Power Supply, 8087-2 
optional, Selectric PC/AT Style Keyboard. 

w/1 Floppy & 10 meg Hard Drive $1 595 

Please call for other configurations 
Above prices do not include video card or monitor 

IBM-pc 

256K, 2 360K Disk Drives IN STOCK 



LIST 

AST, SixPak Plus, 64K S 395 

SixPak Plus, 256K, S/P/CC + S/W $695 

SixPak Plus, 384K, S/P/CC + S/W $ 895 

Preview" 1 Graphics Card w/para, 64K $ 399 

Advantage" Multif. Bd. for AT, 128K $ 595 

I/O Plus II, S/P/CC $ 215 

I/O Plus II, S/P/CC/G $265 

Port Kits - ser, para, or game, ea. $ 50 

CENTRAL POINT, PC Option Board $ 95 

COMX, 130 Wart Power Supply $ 179 

Selectric PC/AT Style Keyboard $ 195 

CURTIS, Command Center $ 180 

EVEREX, The Edge, Color/Mono Brd $ 399 

HAUPPAGE (HCW), 8087 Chip $ 175 

8087 Math Pak (Chip & softw.) $ 295 

80287, Fast-5 $ 295 

HAYES, Mach II Joystick $ 45 

Mach Ell (PC or Jr.) $ 55 

HERCULES, Color Card w/para. $ 245 

Mono Graphics Card $ 499 

IMSI, Mouse with Paintbrush $ 220 

KENSINGTON, Masterpiece" $ 140 

Masterpiece Plus $ 180 

KEY TRONIC, KB5151, Std Keyboard $ 255 

KB 5153 Keyboard w/Touch Tab $ 400 

KOALA, Speed Key Software $ 100 

Speed Key System (Tab w/ softw) $ 200 



C0NR0Y 
$ 239 
$ 259 
$ 269 
$ 249 
$ 445 
$ 169 
$ 225 



35 
$ 81 
$ 93 
$ 95 
$ 119 
$ 269 
$ 125 
$ 219 
$ 239 
$ 29 
S 35 
$ 159 
$ 309 
$ 129 
$ 92 
$ 137 
$ 189 
$ 325 
$ 63 
$ 115 



FLOPPY, HARD & TAPE DRIVES 




UUU, (39 msec, access time) 
Internal 20 meg kit FOR AT $1695 $1 1 95 

CORE INTL, (39 msec, access time) 
ATplus 20 meg kit FOR AT $1395 $1095 
ATplus 30 meg kit FOR AT $1595 $1245 



IRWIN, UST C0NR0V 

10 meg tape backup system $ 795 $ 449 
1 m e g tape cartridges (by 3M) $ 2 5 $ 19 

KAMERMAN, 

10 meg kit w/controller $ 895 $ 579 

20 meg kit w/controller $ 995 $ 695 

Masterflight 10 meg w/tape $2295 $1795 

SEAGATE, 

10 meg w/controller $ 745 $ 459 

20 meg w/controller $ 895 $ 489 

TALLGRASS, , 

24 meg disk, 10 meg tape $3495 $2490 



LIST C0NR0Y 
PRICE PRICE 

KOALA, Koala Pad w/PC Design $ 150 $ 85 

MAYNARD, SAND STAR SERIES IN STOCK CALL 
Multifunction (6) Card $ 89 $ 79 

Memory Card no RAM $ 199 $ 139 

Serial Port Module $ 95 $ 79 

Para or Clock Cal. Module, ea. $ 59 $ 49 

MICROSOFT, Mouse (for PC) $ 195 $ 129 

Serial Mouse $ 195 $ 145 

MOUSE SYSTEMS, PC Mouse & Paint $220 $ 145 

PARADISE, Modular Graphics Card $ 395 $ 295 
Parallel or Serial Poit, ea. $ 95 $ 66 

256K Module w/clock $ 195 $ 165 

PERSYST, PC/Mono Board, w/para $ 250 $ 159 
PC/Color Graphics Board $ 244 $ 176 

QUADRAM,Quadboard,noRAM,to384K$ 295 $ 195 
Quadboard 64K,to 384K, S/P/CC/G $395$ 239 
Quadboard 256K, to 384K, S/P/CC $ 675 $ 269 
Quadboard. 384K (full), S/P/CC/G $ 795 $ 279 
Quadboard II, no RAM, to 256K $ 295 $ 215 
Quadboard II, 256K, 2S/CC $ 595 $ 395 

Quad 512 + 64K w/serial poil $ 325 $ 245 
Quadcolor I, board, 4 colors $ 295 $ 175 

Upgrade Quadcolor I to II kit $ 275 $ 149 

QuadnetVI $1995 $1045 

Quadlink $ 495 $ 375 

Quadsprint $ 645 $ 495 

TALLTREE, J RAM II Board $ 219 $ 159 

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JRAM III, 256K Board $ 399 $ 309 

TECMAR, Maestro, 128Kto3MB, S/Pfor AT $ 589 $ 459 
Graphics Master $ 695 $ 519 

TITAN, 128K PC Accelerator $ 795 $ 595 

VIDEO 7, Mono Graphics Card $ 250 $ 179 

MGCw/ Parallel Port $ 300 $ 215 

VEGA Board (EGA Compatible) $ 599 $ 429 

WICO, Smartboard Keyboard $ 400 $ 279 



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KEY TRONIC, KB5151 Jr. Keyboard $ 255 $ 189 

Numeric Keypad $ 69 $ 52 

KOALA, Touch Tablet for Jr. $ 125 $ 75 

MOUSE SYSTEMS, Mouse w/software $ 220 $ 138 

QUADRAM, Expansion Chassis $ 695 $ 540 

Memory Expansion Board 128K $ 275 $ 215 

RACORE, Expansion Chassis $ 675 $ 449 

128K Expansion Board $ 275 $ 189 

TECMAR, Jr. Captain $ 395 $ 309 



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dBase Ml S 695 

dBase II, (req. PC-DOS &128K) $495 

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BPI, General Acctg. AR, AP, or PR, ea $ 595 

BREAKTHROUGH, Timeline $ 495 

BRODERBUND, Bank St. Writer (PC orJr.} $ 80 

CDEX, Advanced Training lorLotus 1-2-3 $ 70 

CONTINENTAL, Ultrafile $ 195 

Tax Advantage $ 70 

Property Management $ 495 

DATA TRANS., Fontrix $ 155 

Font Packs, each $ 20 

DOW JONES, Market Manager Plus $ 249 

Market Analyzer $ 349 

Spread Sheet Link $ 249 

FOX & GELLER, Quickcode III $ 295 

HARVARD, Total Project Manager $ 495 

HOWARD SOFT, '86 Tax Preparer $ 295 

HUMAN EDGE, Mind Prober (PC or Jr.) $ 50 

Sales Edgeor Management Edge, ea. $ 250 

Negotiation Edge $ 295 

INFOCOM, Cornerstone $ 495 

LIFETREE, Volkswriter Deluxe $ 295 

LIVING VIDEOTEXT, Think Tank $195 

LOTUS, 1-2-3 NEW VERSION! $ 495 

Symphony $ 695 

MOBS, Knowledgeman II $ 595 

MECA, Managing Your Money (PC) $ 199 

MICROPRO, Easy NEW $ 150 

WordStar (PC) $ 350 

WordStar Professional, 4 Pak $ 495 



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WordStar 2000 Plus (copiable) 

WordStar Professional, 4 Pak 
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Extended Report Writer 
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Chart 

Project 

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Peach Pak (GUAR/AP) 



PRENTICE HALL, Inside the IBM, by P. Norton $ 



QUE, Using 1-2-3 (book) 

1-2-3 for Business (book) $ 

Using Symphony (book) $ 

SAMNA, Word III $ 

SATELLITE, WordPerfect (PC) $ 

WordPerfect (Jr) $ 

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395 $ 219 
22 $ 17 
18 $ 14 
17 $ 13 
20 $ 15 
550 $ 295 
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Inquiry 138 




At last, the breakthrough you've 
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419-874-0162 



CLUBS AND 
NEWSLETTERS 



IHe American Medical Student Asso- 
ciation (AMSA) Computers in Medicine 
Task Force (C1MTF), James Hornig-Rohan. 
Box 189-APH, Medical College of Penn- 
sylvania, 3300 Henry Ave., Philadelphia. 
PA 19129. (215) 732-1845. Newsletter and 
access to medical software. Annual fee: 
$3.50, AMSA members; $6, nonmembers. 

IHe Guelph PC Users Group. Michael 
McKinnie, 47 Woodborough Rd., Guelph, 
Ontario NIG 3L7, Canada, (519) 836-9006. 
Monthly meetings and newsletter, public- 
domain software. 

P. E Flyer, George Stewart, Program Fac- 
tory, POB 137, Hancock, NH 03449. 
Newsletter with programs listed or on disk. 
Annual subscription: $16. 

IHe National Amiga Users Group 
(NAMUG), POB 151, Oakland Gardens. NY 
1 1364. Newsletter, more services to come. 
Membership: $20. 

Hewlett-Packard Washington Desktop 
Users Club. Bruce Baxter, IRS D:R:R:M, 
1 1 1 1 Constitution Ave. NW. Washington, 
DC 20224, (202) 566-3252. Meetings in 
Rockville, MD, seminars, library, BBS. 

Amiga Users Group (AUG), 10668 Ellen 
St.. El Monte, C A 9 1 7 3 1 . Monthly newslet- 
ter, public-domain software to come. 

Kaypro Users of Toronto and En- 
virons (KUTE). Box 66, Station A, 
Toronto, Ontario M5W IA2, Canada. 
Newsletter, library, SIGs, BBS. 

Silver State Computer Users Group, 

POB 81075. Las Vegas, NV 89180. For 
users of IBM PC, compatibles, and Com- 
modore. Meetings, newsletter, public- 
domain library. Dues: $4 per month. 

Geneva Mac Club. CP 13, 1211 Geneva 
12. Switzerland. Monthly meetings and 
returnable disks. Annual fee: 100 Swiss 
francs or about $40. 

MicroPro Users Group of America 

(MUGA). 140 Riverside Dr.. New York. NY 
10024. (212) 595-4811. Monthly newslet- 
ter, program coverage. Annual dues: $20. 



Apple Enthusiasts Society of Oak Park 
(AESOP). Patt Chase, POB 4 1 1 1 . Oak Park, 
IL 60303, (312) 366-7864. Monthly meet- 
ings, Mac SIG, support. Annual dues: $24. 

Atari Computer Association of Orange 
County (ACAOC), POB 9419, Fountain 
Valley. CA 92708. Monthly newsletter, BBS 
at (714) 731-6523. Annual dues: $24. 

Sacramento Microcomputer User's 
Group (SMUG). POB 161 513, Sacramen- 
to, CA 95816. Monthly newsletter and 
meetings, public-domain software. Annual 
dues: $12. 

Bulletin Board Systems. Meckler 
Publishing, 1 1 Ferry Lane W, Westport, CT 
06880, (203) 226-6967. Formerly called 
Plumb. 8 issues: $26. 

Modem Dmes. Pikes Peak Macintosh 
Group, 15 North 14th St., Colorado 
Springs, CO 80904. (303) 471-2126. An on- 
line arts magazine for the Mac. Annual 
membership: $18. 

NationServ, RR #5. POB 391, Fairfield, IL 
62837-0391. (618) 847-2381. Multipurpose 
24-hour BBS at 300 or 1200 bps at (618) 
847-2291. Annual fee: $10. 

Ihe National Loco Exchange, Tom 
Lough, POB 5341. Charlottesville. VA 
22905. Logo reference material for 
teachers. 9 issues: $2 5; $30, foreign. 

TViE SPE (Society of Petroleum Engi- 
neers) Microcomputer User Group, 

Wes Eckles. 9424 Hunters Creek, Dallas, 
TX 75234. Produces bimonthly publica- 
tion for professionals in energy resources. 

Denver Area TI Users' Group, 2760 
South Havana, POB 14056, Aurora, CO 
80014. Monthly meetings, BBS, newsletter. 
Annual membership: $24. ■ 



CLUBS AND NEWSLETTERS is an 
acknowledgment of new clubs and newsletters 
received at BYTE. Please allow at least four 
months for your club's mention to appear. Send 
information to BYTE, Clubs and Newsletters. 
POB 372. Hancock. NH 03449. 



54 BYTE ■ JANUARY 1986 



The IBM upgrade path. 




, 



^ 



1 1, 







& 




W 



,:;-' 



m 



:>% 



T V 




It's still a great system— in 
perfect condition. But now you're 
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PC or XT. 

Maybe your business needs 
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Don't dump your present IBM 
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• 8 or 10 Mhz 80286 
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mance than IBM's PC AT (switch 
selectable— 6, 8, or 10 Mhz) 

• IEEE 802.3 standard LAN 
option on the base board (your 
choice, StarLAN or Ethernet) 




• IBM compatible serial port 

• IBM compatible parallel port 

• 512K memory standard, 
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• Three 8-bit slots, use more 
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• Five CMOS VLSI gate arrays 
eliminate over 60 chips to lower 
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• CAD based design, highest 
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• Installs in 10 minutes 
with nothing but a 
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Red River 'Ilech- 
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IBM PC orXT Red RiverTtechnology 
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For more information on the 
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Assembled and tested board: 
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Complete Kit 
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Inquiry 306 



IBM is a i'ttgls(.er<*] trademark ol'International Business Machines Corporation. ATlas is a trademark of Red Riverltechnology. Inc. 

JANUARY 1986 -BYTE 55 




Amdek challenges you 
to read between the lines. 



Not all monitors are created equal. 
And no monitor in this price range 
can equal the new Amdek Color 722. 

What makes the 722 RGB monitor so distinctive? 
For one, a dual frequency output that is capable of 
supporting IBM's Enhanced Graphics Adaptor. The result 
is 350 lines of resolution, assuring you of a sharper, 
crisper image that makes your graphs and charts look 
more like a work of art, and less like a rough sketch. 
For another, the fact that the 722 is made by Amdek 
— where monitors are our only line, not just a sideline. 

The high performance 722 features an etched glass, 
non-glare screen that's easy on the eyes, plus front- 
mounted controls that are easy on the operator. This 
means less eye fatigue and greater productivity. 



MaC| j ^vt t^tn What's more, the 3-position text 
J J \J v/L C/lllt switch enables you to choose green, 

amber or full-color type — up to 
80 characters in width x 25 lines of text. There's 
even an optional tilt/swivel stand that allows you to 
select a viewing angle that's most comfortable for you. 
It all adds up to more monitor for the money, and is 
backed by more warranty for your peace of mind. 
Amdek's warranty protects your investment for three 
full years on the CRT, and two years on all other parts 
and labor. No other monitor warranty offers you more. 
For high resolution performance, see the new Amdek 
Color 722. We know you'll be impressed. After all, 
everytime an Amdek monitor is sold, we know that we 
are putting our image on the line. 



Inquiry 15 



Clearly the finest in monitors. 



IBM i.s;i rejjisirrril trademark at 
lnicTn.iiion.il fUisincs* Machine Corp. 



2201 Lively Boulevard. Elk Grovq Village. IL (i()()(>7. Phone: H12/364-1180. TLX: 280-803 



BOOK REVIEWS 



INTRODUCTION 
TO ROBOTICS 
Arthur J. Critchlow 
Macmillan Publishing Co. 
New York: 1985 
528 pages, $3 5 

THE MICROCOMPUTER 

IN CELL AND 

NEUROBIOLOGY 

RESEARCH 

R. Ranney Mize, editor 

Elsevier Science 

Publishing 

New York: 1985 

498 pages, $49.50 

DATA BASE 

MANAGEMENT 

Fred R. McFadden and 

Jeffrey A. Hoffer 

Benjamin/Cummings 

Menlo Park. CA: 1985 

558 pages, $36.95 




INTRODUCTION 
TO ROBOTICS 
Reviewed by Larry Clark 



The history behind the development of robots, their 
operational characteristics, and the benefits of their 
use are the focus of Introduction to Robotics. Arthur J. Critch- 
low prepared the chapters so that the first portion of each 
can be read casually; there's not an extreme amount of 
technical detail. An introductory course could even be 
gleaned from these parts of the book. He then closes the 
chapters with valuable technical matter for advanced 
readers. Although some repetition is evident the dual 
level of presentation would have been impossible without 
it. 

The book is designed so that readers who did not major 
in robotics can still understand the subject. Critchlow 
recognized that the field of robotics attracts and involves 
people from a variety of disciplines and wrote to the whole 



audience. Nearly any engi- 
neering major would find 
the section on analysis of 
robot arm links interesting 
and lucid, even though it 
uses advanced analysis 
tools like Denavit-Harten- 
berg matrices. 

In my estimation, the 
book was written for the 
junior and senior levels of 
college and is for those 
people who want to fami- 
liarize themselves with 
robotics or those who in- 
tend to become involved in 
robot applications. Critch- 
low explains robots from a 
design standpoint so that 
the reader can understand 
why robots exhibit certain 
characteristics. He explains 
features that researchers 
are currently developing 
and what needs these fea- 
tures will serve. For in- 
stance, a factory of the 
future will have robots that 
are programmed "off line" 
directly from CAD (com- 
puter-aided design) data so 
that programming does not 
take up valuable production 
time. For off-line programming to become practical, 
hurdles (collisions, for example) must be overcome. The 
author describes these problems in detail. 

Critchlow reviews research efforts by corporations and 
universities. The results describe an exciting array of 
mobile robots, advanced controls and sensors, and lan- 
guage developments that include artificial intelligence. 
The references at the end of all chapters indicate that 
each section is based on extensive research. A reader 
could use this book as a complete reference resource to 
locate original papers on robotics topics (such as works 
of Denavit and Hartenberg), even those that were written 
early in the robotics era and may now be hard to get. Ex- 
tensive excerpts or summaries are taken from the refer- 

[continued) 



ILLUSTRATED BY DAVID GOTHARD 



JANUARY 1986 -BYTE 57 



A NEW WAY 

TO SPELL 

PERFORMANCE 

WESTERN AT TURBO tm 

THE ULTIMATE COMPUTING MACHINE 
WITH IBM COMPATABIUTY 




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• 80286 or 80286-8 CPU with optional 80287 co-processor 

• 8 expansion slots • On board battery- backed clock calen- 
dar • Optional 20/33/80 MB Winchester disk memory • Op- 
tional multifunction card with total 4 MB RAM and 4 serial 
ports, 1 parallel port and game port capability. 




WESTERN PC TURBO 

($1495.00 - 256K, 2x360K floppy drives. CC/MC mono monitor 1 printer port) 

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TELEX 456 168 ASWERBACK BELE CH. 



BOOK REVIEWS 



ences and more than support the author's statements. 
Many of the illustrations are also taken from these refer- 
ences. 

Critchlow's unusual and refreshing introduction to 
robotics begins with European mechanical developments 
in the 1700s and mentions Karel Capek's coining the word 
1 robot" in 1921. By doing this, Critchlow shows that many 
basic ideas used in robotics, like mechanical-cam program- 
ming, existed for hundreds of years before the word 
"robot" came into existence. 

The author discusses kinematic analysis using homo- 
geneous matrices and, as an exception to the purpose of 
an introduction, goes on to give numerical examples of 
their use that are excellent. A reader will immediately see 
the complexity involved and how maximum performance 
is demanded from a control computer. Compliant end ef- 
fectors and end-of-arm tooling schemes are described 
(compliant tooling offers several advantages despite the 
added complexity). Mechanical power-drive mechanisms 
are explained in terms of how they are specially suited 
to the rigorous needs of robots. Hydraulic, pneumatic, and 
electric drives are detailed. 

Microprocessors are introduced briefly using the 8080 
as an example. The reader is given definitions of some 
of the terminology; fortunately. Critchlow reviews logic 
gates before moving on to describe microprocessor pro- 
gramming and architecture. 

Software capabilities are detailed for several commer- 
cial robots. I have seldom seen this much data on the char- 
acteristics of robot programming. A total of 14 language 
systems are reviewed, including VAL, a structured lan- 
guage. 

Sensors are evaluated in terms of the signals they pro- 
duce, how they operate, and the best uses to which they 
can be put. Vision sensing is introduced in an especially 
thorough manner in a chapter of its own. Critchlow pro- 
vides extensive examples of elementary mathematical- 
analysis methods. You can see for yourself how lines and 
edges are identified in an image and how their slope and 
intercept values are determined. Because vision algo- 
rithms are complex and quickly exceed the scope of an 
introduction, the reader is sent to the references that ap- 
pear at the end of each chapter for more information. But 
by this time you will know what you want to learn more 
about and where to find further information. Vision, un- 
doubtedly one of the more important sensing methods, 
remains largely undeveloped. The reader is shown what 
vision systems are capable of doing now and what capa- 
bilities remain to be developed. 

Errors 

The book contains several errors that you should be 
prepared to recognize and ignore. 1 will describe two so 
that you can sense their nature. (Other small errors such 
as incorrect references to figures were obvious and not 
significant.) Though the errors described here do not 

[continued) 



58 B YTE • JANUARY 1986 



Inquiry 381 for End-Users. 
Inquiry 382 for DEALERS ONLY. 




Those who insist on C compiler performance 
are very big on Mark Williams. 

And the compiler is just part of our total C Programming System. 

Mark Williams' C compiler has earned a place 
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it proves the benchmarks right with the speed, code 
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But a total development tool shouldn't stop with 
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COMPILER FEATURES 

• Runs under MS-DOS 

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© 1985 Mark Williams Company 

UNIX is a registered trademark of Bell Labs. 

Inquiry 223 



*]n Illinois call 312-472-6659- 



1430 West Wrightwood 
Chicago, Illinois 60614 



JANUARY 1986 -BYTE 59 



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BOOK REVIEWS 



destroy the book's value, they limit its audience to those 
who wouldn't be misled by them. 

The chapter on controls analysis contains a significant 
error that would certainly confuse the uninitiated. Begin- 
ning engineering students would be confused by reading 
that feedback forces the output of a closed control loop 
to be equal to its input (that is, their ratio is unity), then 
seeing the classic development of the closed-loop transfer 
function. The transfer function, G(s)/(l +G(s)H(s)), equation 
#4 on page 168. is correctly given as the ratio of output 
to input and is clearly not equal to unity as stated earlier. 
If the author has an explanation for the differences this 
literal interpretation of his writing brings to light, he does 
not say. I can imagine the number of questions a group 
of students would have about this discrepancy. 

I found another error in an extensive description of the 
General Motors Consight vision system. The Consight sys- 
tem, as described on page 374, was said to be able to 
accurately measure the height of a part on a conveyor belt 
even though only a linear diode array camera was being 
used. Further, the system was described as a two-dimen- 
sional system that could provide both a part's height and 
location on a conveyor belt. 

I checked the original reference and found that the Con- 
sight system did provide 2-D silhouettes but did not pro- 
vide height data; it only detected height in finding the 
outline of the part. I learned enough from Critchlow's 
writing about solid-state cameras to find this anomaly. In 
fact I found it worthwhile to look beyond the errors to 
appreciate the wide range of information offered in this 
book on advanced robot controls, software, sensors (espe- 
cially vision), and applications. The author's work repre- 
sents a worthy effort, though the errors are annoying. 

The book offers a good overall view of the robotics field 
for someone who wants either a light introduction or a 
starting point that gives detailed references to original 
works in robotics and related fields. To me, the most in- 
teresting portions of the book are its sections on 
kinematics and analysis of vision problems. Although 
errors are significant, they would affect only a fraction of 
the book's potential audience. 

Larry Clark (8103 Thomewood Dr., Uixson, TN 37343) is involved 
in robotics applications development and teaches robotics after-hours 
as an adjunct professor at Chattanooga State Technical Community 
College. His hobbies include building microcomputers and working with 
a FORTH compiler he wrote. 



THE MICROCOMPUTER IN CELL AND 
NEUROBIOLOGY RESEARCH 

Reviewed by David A. Price 

The Microcomputer in Cell and Neurobiology Research presents 
advice for biologists who want to use microcomputers 
to control experiments and analyze the results. Although 

{continued) 



60 BYTE - JANUARY 1986 



Inquiry 242 




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Inquiry 224 



© 19K5 Mark Williams 



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BOOK REVIEWS 



biologists have long used minicomputers and mainframes 
for these purposes, the advent of microcomputers and 
lab-oriented microcomputer peripherals (such as high- 
speed analog-to-digital converters and video "frame grab- 
bers") has made laboratory automation less costly and 
more convenient. R. Ranney Mize, the editor, selected a 
diverse range of application areas, with chapters written 
by researchers who have implemented microcomputer 
systems for their own labs. They have practical knowledge 
to share, but their contributions vary widely in quality. 

The application areas covered include light and electron 
microscopy, morphometry (measuring the sizes and 
shapes of cells and organelles), serial section reconstruc- 
tion (drawing the original three-dimensional form of an 
object based on a series of two-dimensional tissue slices), 
image analysis, and electrophysiology (recording electrical 
activity in the nervous system). In each of these areas, the 
potential contribution of lab computers is inestimable. 
Morphometric analysis, for example, is highly tedious work 
if the researcher must rely on manual methods. One 
typical approach is to trace a picture of a cell, cut it out, 
and weigh the cutout— an approach that one of the 
authors describes as "exhausting." With a video display 
or a digitizing tablet, the researcher can partly automate 
the process, thereby making morphometric information 
not only less costly but also more accurate. 

Researchers using autoradiography (that is, tracing blood 
flow and other activity using radioactive solutions in 
animal bloodstreams) have benefited from image-analysis 
systems. (An autoradiograph is a photographic print of a 
slice of tissue, with varying levels of gray for varying con- 
centrations of radioactive solution.) After using a video 
camera or a scanning densitometer to put an autoradio- 
graph into a computer, a researcher can make the gray 
levels easier to distinguish by having the computer assign 
"false colors" to each of the gray levels and then display- 
ing the autoradiograph on a color monitor. The researcher 
can then compare different autoradiographs either visually 
or with precise, computer-generated statistics. 

Researchers Writing for Researchers 

Because a large number of researchers contributed to the 
book, it does not focus exclusively on a particular 
machine; systems described in the book are based on the 
Apple II, the IBM Personal Computer, the DEC LSI-1 1, and 
many other microcomputers. The choice of languages, 
similarly, includes assembly, BASIC, FORTRAN, FORTH, 
and C. Most of the contributors describe in precise detail 
the hardware and software they used to build their sys- 
tems, as well as the considerations that led them to choose 
as they did. 

The fact that the authors are researchers writing for other 
researchers has both good and bad effects. A good ef- 
fect is that their point of view differs sharply from a com- 
puter specialist's: The authors place a higher value on 
simplicity and practicality than on impressive specs. (Some 

[continued] 



62 BYTE • JANUARY 1986 



Inquiry 198 








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JANUARY 1986 -BYTE 63 



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JANUARY 1986 'BYTE 65 



Turbo, who? 

Do you have to give up power and advanced potential 

to get ease of use and affordability? Not anymore. 

Because now, you can have UCSD Pascal for only $79.95! 



If you're making your move into 
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to go than Pascal. And starting now, 
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UCSD Pascal 

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With UCSD Pascal, you get a 





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is a trade- ■ — 
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60 



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66 BYTE • JANUARY 1986 



Inquiry 278 



BOOK REVIEWS 



exceptions stand out, though; a handful of the writers are 
obviously dazzled by fine technical differences of ques- 
tionable importance.) Another good effect is that each 
author provides an extensive bibliography to which 
readers can refer for further information about algorithms, 
lab techniques, and equipment. A bad effect is that the 
text, like most scientific writing, has many awkward 
moments; the passive voice reigns supreme. 

The topics covered are especially well chosen because 
they not only relate to a variety of applications but also 
present a variety of engineering problems. The chapters 
on microscopy and morphometry describe some challeng- 
ing problems of pattern recognition. The parts covering 
serial section reconstruction show how some program- 
mers have tackled the representation, manipulation, and 
display of three-dimensional line drawings. The chapters 
on autoradiographic image analysis discuss various ways 
to digitize an image and enhance it. Sections on electro- 
physiology focus on numerical and graphic analyses of 
electrical signals. Others provide helpful descriptions of 
algorithms, and one chapter even includes a lengthy BASIC 
listing. 

Many of the contributions are excellent. The chapter by 
Sing and Salin, for example, provides a clear overview of 
popular computer languages and the issues involved in 
choosing a language for lab use. The chapter on hardware 
selection by Poler, Akeson, and Flaming includes a useful 
discussion of technical support; it gives a much-needed 
warning of the fact that computer dealers are generally 
unfamiliar with the special requirements of laboratories. 
The chapters on autoradiographic image analysis are con- 
sistently first-rate, as is the chapter by Park on neuro- 
physiological recording. 

Flaws 

Some of the contributions, however, fall short. The first 
chapter, intended as an introduction to microcomputer 
hardware, says little of importance to researchers. Giving 
short shrift to the vital topic of interfacing, it consists main- 
ly of a daunting discussion of bus and processor architec- 
tures. Some contributors present long and boring recitals 
of technical data ("The 9845B has dual 16-bit NMOS-II 
microprocessors, 187 KB of RAM memory, a medium- 
resolution graphics screen . . .") as a substitute for insight 
and analysis. 

A more serious difficulty is that several of the con- 
tributors wrote article-length advertisements, in essence, 
for products in which they appear to have a proprietary 
interest. Although the developers of a product are, of 
course, suited to describe it for interested users, the 
possibility for abuse is obvious. First, the writer (or editor) 
does not alert the reader to the pertinent facts. Unless 
you read the material carefully, you might not realize that 
the author who is lauding system X also happens to own 
the company that sells it. When an author has a commer- 
cial interest in a product, he or she should say so forth- 

{continued) 



IBM PC XT Compatible Computer runs 
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111, and any known software. XT-Plus 
has eight Slots, 640KB memory on 
Mother Board. 




m0& 



Limited time special offer: 640KB CPU, 
Floppy Controller, Keyboard, Parallel 
Port, Serial Port, Game Port, Clock, two 
360 KB Disk Drives all for $799 

(Suggested Retail Price $1399.) 

AMERICAN MICRO TECHNOLOGY 

(714) 972-2945 
TWX 5106003265 



IBM PC, XT AT 

& COMPATIBLES 

at Wholesale Prices 



A Mf an IBM PC AT Compatible Computer 

^'2 = / 640K on Board, 1.2MB Disk Drive, 

^§v 20 MB Disk Drive, Keyboard s 1995 

^-^J""'"" 1 Retai | Rrjce $3995) 

640K Ram each .45 

128K Ram each 3.50 

256K Ram each 2.50 

Toshiba Drive 360KB 79.00 

1.2MB Disk Drive for AT 129.00 

20MB Hard Drive w/Controller and Cables . . . 449.00 

10MB Tape Back Up Drive for XT 299.00 

10MB Tape B/U Drive for AT 375.00 

135 watt Power Supply 79.00 

195 watt Power Supply 125.00 

FDC with P/P, S/P, Clock & Game Port . . . . 99.00 

AT Mother Board 799.00 

XT Mother Board 125.00 

Floppy/HD Controller for AT 219.00 



AMT 

(714) 972-2945 

TWX 5106003265 






** 



°T 



Vn. 



Inquiry 17 



JANUARY 1986 • BYTE 67 



THE PRICE LEADERS!!! 



BUILD YOUR OWN PC! 



# 



$■ 



& 



& 




c o, 



% 



«* 



*h 



*r> 



r fy 



IBM PC-XT TYPE CASE $ 49.00 

150 WATT POWER SUPPLY $ 95.00 

51 50 IBM-TYPE KEY BOARD $ 59.00 

MOTHER BOARD EXPANDABLE TO 640K 

WITH 128K INSTALLED $165.00 

MONOCHROME GRAPHIC PRINTER BOARD $ 89.00 

FLOPPY CONTROLLER BOARD $ 39.00 

2-FLOPPY DISC DRIVES @$85 EACH $170.00 

12" TTL HIGH RESOLUTION MONITOR $123.00 

COMPLETE WITH INSTRUCTION & ASSEMBLY MANUALS. ^=^= 

YOUR COST $789.00 

OPTIONAL: 

ASSEMBLED & TESTED WITH MS DOS & GW BASIC $145.00 

RAM CHIPS TO EXPAND TO 640K $ 55.00 

Any of these components may be purchased separately. $989.00 

All boards guaranteed for 1 year. IBM. PC/XT m IradBmarks ol Inlimilional Business Machines. Inc. 



SmarTeam Modem 

103/212A- 
Operates at 300 
Baud & 1200 Baud 

• Hayes 
Compatible 

• Auto Answer. 
Dial & Redial 

Uses RS 232-C Connector 
#91990 S175.00 



w 



Brother® Printer 




Dot Matrix Printer 
#DM5 



$99.00 



-) Mura Modem 

i MM -100 -sends & 
I receives at 300 Baud. 
'" • Direct Connect to 
Phone 
Compatible with all computers 
having RS 232 Port 

#10005 SI8.00 



1 



Key Boards 

■IM$ai^ , 

» mm 



5151 IBM Type Key Board 
Caps and Num Lock 

#5151 $95.95 

5060 AT IBM Type Key Board Over 

size shift and return key. 

#5060 AT $89.95 



ADD ON BOARDS IBM COMPATIBLE 



Monochrome Graphic Printer Board 

• Built in Parallel Printer Port 

• Text: 25 line x 80 column 

• Graphics: 720 x 348 resolution 

• TTL High Resolution Output 
#92270 $89.00 



Multifunction Board 

• Expandable to 384 K RAM 

• Serial Port. Game Port 

• Parallel Printer Port 

• Clock Calendar w/ Battery Backup 

• Software. Manuals and Cables 
#92290 $99.00 



Color Graphics Board 

• RGB and Composite Port 

• Light Pen Interlace 

• Graphics: 320 x 200(color); 
640 x200(BW) 

• Text: 25 x 80 

#92280 $80.00 

Plus A Huge Selection 



384K RAM Expansion Board 

• Fully buffered 

#92305 $50.00 



512K RAM Expansion Board 

• Fully buffered 

#92300 $59.00 



RS 232 Serial Board 

• 1 Serial Port 

• 2nd Port optional 

#92310 $35.00 



Parallel Printer Card 

Also may be used as I/O Port 
#32700 $29.00 



Floppy Disk Controller 

• Drives 2 internal drives 

• Includes cable 

• IBM PC compatible 
#92260 $39.00 

of Cebles & Accessories! 



THE WHOLESALE OUTLET 

' / / / / Dept. BY. 1 Interstate Avenue. Albany, NY 12205. To order call 
1 1 1 1 1-800-344-4387 (Non-NYS Res.) or 518-459-7883 (NYS Res.) 
' Personal and company checks accepted (on mail-in orders. ) Customer pays 
freights handling FOB Albany, NY. Non-credit card order shipped UPS. C.O.D. 
Minimum order $25. Dealer and large quantity 
orders call 51 8-459-7883 . Ask for Computer Dept . 



BOOK REVIEWS 



rightly. Even if the writer is candid about the shortcom- 
ings of the product, a reader deserves to know about the 
potential conflict of interest. 

Second, the problem is worse because the offending 
authors in this book give one-sided, congratulatory views 
of their products. Their chapters are sprinkled with such 
adjectives as "powerful," "user-friendly," and "ideal." One 
author, after describing a system based on a severely 
dated and now almost unknown microcomputer and on 
a nonstandard operating system, informs the reader 
unblinkingly that the system "defies obsolescence." 

The book is also marred by some unfortunate omissions 
of important topics. It gives little attention to managerial 
issues— for example, deciding whether to write one's own 
lab software, hire a programmer, or buy a canned package. 
It omits any discussion of software testing, which is vital 
in a laboratory because mistakes are costly and often hard 
to detect. 

These flaws aside, The Microcomputer in Cell and Neurobiology 
Research is a worthwhile source of information for re- 
searchers with an interest in bringing microcomputers in- 
to their laboratories. For researchers considering so 
substantial an investment, every source of information 
should be welcome. 

David A. Price (57 Roseland St. #2, Somerville, MA 02143), 
formerly a programmer in physiology and neurobiology laboratories, 
is a third-year law student at Harvard University. 



DATA BASE MANAGEMENT 
Reviewed by loseph A. Benderavage 

Databases grow slowly, often over a period of years. 
Plan one to meet the needs of your organization, 
for both today and the next decade. This is the underly- 
ing principle of Data Base Management as seen by the 
authors, Fred R. McFadden and Jeffrey A. Hoffer. They 
describe very complete, detailed design rules that are easy 
to follow. They cite methodology for top-down planning 
developed by IBM, and they frequently refer to that 
company. 

Database Design 

Lack of standardization for semantic controls (commands), 
among other reasons, led to a conference that laid down 
guidelines for designing network databases. The Data Base 
l^sk Group (DBTG) of the Conference of Data System Lan- 
guages (CODASYL) formulated the principles listed in the 
book. All manufacturers, with the exception of IBM, tried 
to meet CODASYLs specifications. Relational databases, 
on the other hand, lack uniform index-maintenance pro- 
cedures and process data one file at a time, not one record 
at a time. The startling admission that the authors do not 
know how a relational database implements relationships 
surfaces amid an ocean of specific and precise definition. 

{continued) 



68 BYTE • JANUARY 1986 



Inquiry 383 



dPOWER without dPRICE 




Until now, there were 
only two kinds of databases on 
the market. Powerful databases 
with powerful prices. And file man- 
agers that cost very little— and gave 
you very little in return. 

Now you can get the power you 
want at the price you want to pay. 
With PractiBase! The first inexpen- 
sive database that truly compares 
with any base at any price-especially 
at its introductory price of $69.95. 

Skeptical? We don't blame you. 
But consider some of PractiBase's 
features: 

• A powerful relational database man- 
agement system, including memo 
writer, forms generator, entry forms 
and page report generator 

• Advanced dBase IP-compatible 
programming language-including 
JOIN, UPDATE and TOTAL commands 

• Reads and writes dBase II files 

• Runs dBase II programs! (.PRG and 
.FMT files) 

• Sorts on multiple keys in a single 
operation 

• Handles up to three data files at one 
time 

• Menu- or command-driven (you 
never have to stare at a dot!) 

• Includes time-saving abbreviation 
macros 

©1985 PractiCorp International Inc. 



• Context-sensitive, multi-level HELP 

• Includes 200-page manual, case 
study and command summary card 

• NOT copy-protected 

• For the IBM PC, XT, AT* and com- 
patibles 

• Requires 256K minimum (hard disk 
optional) 

Whether you're a first-time user 
or a power user, we believe you'll find 
PractiBase the equal of databases cost- 
ing up to ten times its price. 

You can buy PractiBase alone. Or 
save even more by buying it with 
PractiWord*-our full-featured word 
processor that gives you all the power 
of WordStar*-for a combined price of 
only $99.95. 

Either way, you'll get dPower you 
need. Without dStroying your budget. 

^©PRACTICORP 

No-Nonsense Software™ 

The Silk Mill, 44 Oak Street, Newton 
Upper Falls, MA 02164 (617) 965-9870 

The following are registered trademarks of the respective 
companies indicated: dBase and dBase II, Ashton-Tate; 
WordStar, Micro-Pro International; IBM, PC, XT and AT, 
International Business Machines Corp. PractiCorp, 
PractiBase and PractiWord are registered trademarks of 
PractiCorp International Inc. 



su^>^- — 1 

SPECIAL 
INTRODUCTORY OFFER! 

LIMITED TIME ONLY! 

To order by mail: Complete this coupon 
and return to PractiCorp International, 
The Silk Mill, 44 Oak Street, Newton 
Upper Falls, MA 02164 
To order by phone: Call TOLL FREE 
1-800-858-2727 or call 617-965-9870 
Yes! Rush PractiBase to me: 

Quantity Price 

PractiBase (& $69.95 each $ 

PractiWord (& $69.95 each 

PractiBase/ PractiWord 

bundle @ $99.95 each .... 

Subtotal 

MA residents add 5% sales tax 

Shipping and handling $5.00 

TOTAL $ 



Payment: □ Check □ Visa □ MasterCard 



Card No._ 



Expiration Date- 
Signature 

Name 



Shipping address- 
City 



.Zip- 



Phone no. 



Allow four weeks for delivery. Outside U.S.A.. add $10 
and make payment by bank draft in U.S. dollars only. 

L — _ . . _ , . . — — _ — - . — « B i2 6 J 



Inquiry 284 



JANUARY 1986 • BYTE 69 



Inquiry 407 



UPGRADE YOUR 
X-ASSEMBLER 

and save $200! 



Does your present 
PC cross assembler 
include the following 
functions: 



1 Powerful macro facility 

1 Relocatable code generation 

1 Long symbol names (255 char) 

1 Symbol maps 

• Multiple output formats 



sebe^ 



1 Cross reference lists 
1 Universal linker 
1 Universal librarian 



If not, upgrade to IAR Series! 

To get all these functions and more, order a set of 3 or 5 different 
assemblers (choose 8048/51, 6801/05/09, Z8/Z80 and more), 
send us your old cross assembler and get $200 off our list prices: 

Set of any 3 assemblers: $640— $200 = $440 
Set of any 5 assemblers: $940— $200 = $740 



For more 
information 
or order: 



I Ener 



Enertec inc. wjenkinsave., 

LAN DSD ALE, PA 19446 USA 
Phone:(215)362-0966 



Excellent 
Tactile Feeling 

PC/XT/AT COMPATIBLE KEYBOARD 




STAFF-K8 

• 66-key keyboard 

• Special "FAST REPEAT" 
function key for Spreadsheet. 

Common Features: 

• Both PC XT & AT compatible 
encoded 

• Low profile design, DIN standard 

• Excellent tactile feeling, 
mechanical keyswitch 

• Double-shot, step sculpture 
keytops 

• Various languages available: 
English, German, French, 
Spanish, Italian, Swedish 

• IBM XT/AT is registered trademark of 
IBM corp. 



STAFF-K9 

• 105-key keyboard 

• Independent cursor control pad 

• Practical function key: 
Key-ln-lock, Key Beep, Fast 
Repeat, Line-Feed, Pause, 
Break, Previous word, Next 
word, Clear Screen, Reset 

• DEC VT-220 TERMINAL COMPATIBLE 
KEYBOARD AVAILABLE. 

A^- MONTEREY 

International Corp. 

5FI., No 40, Deh Hwei Street Taipei Taiwan R.O.C. 
Phone (02)591-7138 
Cable: "MONTEREY" Taipei 
Telex: 25171 MONTEREY 



Dealer and Retail Store are welcome 



BOOK REVIEWS 



Many of the rules in this book are for designing data- 
bases, yet there is a reference to using software programs 
to accomplish this. The authors go to great lengths to iden- 
tify the symbols and data input for the Data Designer pro- 
gram. They also include a list of costs and benefits that 
would be useful in the investigative phase of systems 
analysis and design. 

The choice of software for management of data is of 
paramount importance to design. Although a database 
management system (DBMS) requires many more steps 
than a conventional file-processing system to perform a 
simple task, and although input/output (I/O) operations are 
slower, McFadden and Hoff er assert that general produc- 
tivity will be higher. Usually a DBMS has a control system 
and a storage system, and it interfaces with user programs, 
compiled representations of data (called schemas), and 
access methods. This complexity is revealed in an intricate 
illustration that describes the loading of management- 
system components connected by a linkage editor into 
the main memory of a computer. It also shows the com- 
munication that occurs between a user program and its 
schema and, consequently, its data definitions. The 
authors explain the central role of the data dictionary/ 
directory and its link with schema at length. Many exam- 
ple schemas are mapped out; so too are subschemas, 
which give customized views of a database and are in- 
dependent of application programs. 

File Design 

McFadden and H offer's helpful rule of thumb for designers 
suggests that an index referencing more than 10 percent 
of the records in a file will not work as efficiently as a com- 
plete sequential file scan. A compact table, impressive in 
its coverage and scope, presents guidelines for identify- 
ing secondary and primary keys to further assist in file 
design. The authors' explanation of random access to 
ISAM (indexed sequential access method) files is very 
lucid, as is that for hashing algorithms and hashed file 
designs. I discovered that the access-speed hashing algo- 
rithm was 80 percent of maximum access speed, a factor 
certain to influence your choice of access method. 

The chapter on data models (hierarchical, relational and 
network, and the hybrids) clearly demonstrates the reduc- 
tion of complex user views to a set of small data struc- 
tures. This is the strongest part of the book. Normaliza- 
tion is extensively documented and lists the criteria for 
first, second, and third normal forms and beyond. 

A useful tip I gleaned is the 80-20 rule, which declares 
that 20 percent of all data items accounts for 80 percent 
of I/O operations. 

The authors make few concrete analogies. 1 appreciated 
one that introduced the grouping of intrarecord data struc- 
tures with a folk saying: Don't put all your eggs in one 
basket. Another analogy compares inverted lists with the 
task of consulting a library file catalogue. 

McFadden and Hoffer refer to the concept of virtual 

[continued] 



70 B YTE • JANUARY 1986 



Inquiry 252 



THE PROFESSIONAL'S CHOICE 



"Lotus 
1-2-3 

$319 



-^ Lotus 
Symphony 

$439 



$369 



$369 



$219 



Perfect 4-1 

$809 



Software 

Word Processing Editors 

FANCY FONT $139 

FINAL WORD $179 

MICROSOFT WORD $219 

MULTIMATE $219 
MULTIMATE 

ADVANTAGE $269 
OFFICE WRITER/ 

SPELLER $239 

PFS: WRITE $ 89 

SAMNA WORD III $259 
VOLKSWRITER 

DELUXE $159 
VOLKSWRITER 

SCIENTIFIC $269 

WORD PERFECT 4.1 $209 

WORDSTAR $189 

WORDSTAR 2000 $249 

WORDSTAR 2000+ $289 

WORDSTAR PRO $259 

XYWRITEII+ $189. 



Database Systems 
ALPHA DATA BASE 

MANAGER II 
CLIPPER 
CLOUT V 2.0 
CONDOR III 
CORNERSTONE 
DBASE III 

KNOWLEDGEMAN2 
PARADOX 
PC FOCUS 
PFS: FILE/PFS: 

REPORT 
POWERBASE 
QUICKCODE III 
QUICKREPORT 
R BASE 5000 
REFLEX 
REVELATION 

Spreadsheets/ 
Integrated Packages 

ELECTRIC DESK 

ENABLE 

FRAMEWORK II 

JAZZ 

LOTUS 1-2-3 

MULTIPLAN 

OPEN ACCESS 

SMART SYSTEM 

SPREADSHEET 
AUDITOR 

SUPERCALC 3 

SYMPHONY 



$179 
$389 
$139 
$329 
$279 
$369 
$329 
$Call 
$1139 

$169 
$219 
$159 
$159 
$359 
$79 
$629 



Graphics 
BPS BUSINESS 

GRAPHICS $229 

CHARTMASTER $219 

CHARTSTAR $169 

DIAGRAM MASTER $215 

EXECUVISION $249 

ENERGRAPHICS $189 

FREELANCE $239 

GEM DRAW $ 95 
GRAPHWRITER 

COMBO v $339 

IN-A-VISION $319 
MS CHART -NEW , $189 
OVERHEAD 

EXPRESS $109 

PC DRAW $249 

PC PAINTBRUSH *. $ 89 

PFS: GRAPH $ 89 

SIGNMASTER . $159 

Project Management 
HARVARD TOTAL 

PROJECT MANAGER $279 
MICROSOFT 

PROJECT-NEW $249 
PROJECT SCHEDULER 

NETWORK $339 

SUPERPROJECT $209 

TIMELINE 2.0 $289 

Desktop Environments 

DESK ORGANIZER $ 69 

GEM DESKTOP $39 

SIDEKICK $ 39 

Communications/ 

Productivity Tools 

CROSSTALK $ 99 

CROSSTALK MKIV $149 

PROKEY $ 89 

KEYWORKS $59 

RELAY GOLD $Cal1 

REMOTE $119 

SMARTERM $Call 

SMARTCOM II $ 99 
SUPERKEY ' .$ 55 

Statistics 

SPSS/PC $695 

STATPAK-NWA $329 
STATPAC- 

WALONICK $349 

SYSTAT $419 

Professional Development 
LIGHTYEAR ■ $319 

THINK TANK $109 



Languages/Utilities 

CONCURRENT DOS $189 

C86 C COMPILER $299 

DR FORTRAN 77 $219 

FASTBACK $119 

LATTICE C COMPILER $289 

MARK WILLIAMS C $319 
MICROSOFT C 

COMPILER $249 

MS BASIC COMPILER $249 

MS FORTRAN $229 

NORTON UTILITIES $ 59 

QUICK BASIC $ 79 

TURBO PASCAL $ 49 

XENIX $Call 



Accounting 

BPI $299 

GREAT PLAINS $479 

IUS EASYBUSINESS $319 

ONE WRITE PLUS $179 

OPEN SYSTEMS $359 

PEACHTREE $289 

REAL WORLD $369 
STAR ACCOUNTING 

PARTNER $249 
STAR ACCOUNTING 

PARTNER II $529 



Hardware' 



Display Boards 
AST PREVIEW 
EVEREX EDGE 
EVEREX GRAPHICS 

EDGE 
GENDA SPECTRUM 
HERCULES GRAPHICS 

CARD 
HERCULES COLOR 

CARD 
PARADISE MODULAR 

GRAPHICS 
PARADISE 

MULTIDISPLAY CARD 
SIGMA COLOR 400 
STB CHAUFFER 
TECMAR GRAPHICS 

MASTER 
TSENG ULTRA PAK 
TSENG ULTRA PAK-S 



$279 
$309 

$319 
$Cal1 

$299 

$159 

$275 

$285 
$489 
$279 

$459 
$429 
$369 



Multifunction Boards 

AST ADVANTAGE $389 

AST 6 PAK PLUS (64K) $229 

AST 6 PAK PLUS (384K) $249 
GOLD QUADBOARO (OK) $419 
ORCHID BLOSSOM 

(OK) $199 
ORCHID BLOSSOM 

(384K) $249 
ORCHID PC TURBO 

(256K) ^699 
PERSYST TIME SPECTRUM 

(OK) $199 
PERSYST TIME SPECTRUM 

(384K) $249 

QUADBOARD (OK) $189 

OUADBOARD (384K) $219 
SILVER QUADBOARD 

(OK) $219 
TECMAR CAPTAIN 

(OK) $189 
TECMAR CAPTAIN 

(384K) $229 
TECMAR JR CAPTAIN 

(128K) $289 

TECMAR WAVE (64K) $209 

Emulation Boards 

AST 5251-11 $599 

AST5251-12 $549 

AST BSC $489 

AST SNA $599 

CXI 3278/9 Plus $959 

IRMA $799 

IRMALINE $999 

Networks 

AST PC NET $Call 

CORVUS NET $Cal( 

ORCHID PC NET $Cati 

3 COM $Call 



Mass Storage/Backup 
EXCEL STREAM 60 TAPE 

(INT) $899 

IOMEGA BERNOULLI 

BOX-NEW! $2445 

IRWIN 310A 10MB TAPE 

(EXT) $850 

IRWIN 110O 10MB TAPE 

(INT) $499 

MAYNSTREAM 60MB TAPE 

(INT) $1199 

MOUNTAIN DRIVECARD 

10MB $789 

TALLGRASS $C«il 

TECMAR QIC-60ATTAPE 

(INT) $1199 



Monitors 




AMDEK 310A 


$169 


AMDEK 300/500 
AMDEK 600/710 


$249/349 


$449/469 


PRINCETON HX-12 


$459 


PRINCETON MAX-12E $179 


PRINCETON SR-12 


$579 


PRINCETON HX-12E 


$559 


PRINCETON HX-9 


$529 


TAXAN 122 AMBER 


$159 


TAXAN 630/640 


$469/539 


Modems 




AST REACH 1200 


$389 


HAYES 1200 


$389 


HAYES 1200B 


$349 


HAYES 2400 


$579 


TRANSNET 1000 


$299 


VENTEL 1200 




HALF CARD 


$389 


WATSON 


$489 


Printers/Plotters 




BROTHER TWINWRITER $939 


DIABLO 


$CaH 


EPSON FX-85 


$369 


EPSON FX-185 


$499 


EPSON LQ-1500 


$999 

$Ca» 


HP 7475A 


JUKI 8300 


$699 
$439 


NEC ELF 350 


NEC 3550 


$1139 


OKIDATA 193 


$539 


QUME SPRINT 1155 


$1569 


SWEET P 600 


$799 


TI855 


TOSHIBA P351 


$1129 


Input Devices 




KEYTRONIC 5151 


$179 


KOALA 


$109 


MICROSOFT MOUSE 


$129 


PC MOUSE W 




PAINTBRUSH 


$129 



Accessories 
CURTIS SURGE 

PROTECTORS $Call 

DATASHIELD BACKUP 

POWER $Cafl 

GILTRONIX SWITCHES $Call 
MASTERPIECE PLUS $135 
MICROFAZER INLINE 

(64K) $219 

TRIPPLITE BACKUP 

POWER $CaH 

258K RAM SET $ 39 

8087 MATH CHIP $135 



Helcules Mountain 

Graphics Card I Drivecard 10 

*399 $789 



*CALL FOR SHIPPING COSTS 





LOWEST PRICE 
GUARANTEE!! 

We will match current 

nationally advertised 

prices on most products. 

Call and compare. 



free. 



Diskette 

Library 

Case 

with your order 



TERMS: 

Checks— allow 14 days to clear. Credit processing— add 3%. COD orders— cash, 
MO or certified check— add $5.00. Shipping and handling UPS surface— add $3.00 
per item (UPS Blue$8.00 per item,). NY State Residents— add applicable sales tax. 
All prices subject to change. \ '- "' 



MON.-THURS. 9:00AM-8:00PM 
SUN. & FRI. 9:00AM-4:00PM 



1-800-221-1260 

In New York State call (718) 438-6057 




mssm 




Softline Corporation 
P.O. Box 729, Brooklyn, N.Y. 11230 
TELEX: 421 047 ATLNUI 
FAX: 718-972-8346 



JANUARY 1986 • BYTE 71 



For thousands of years, 

man used personal 

computers without decent 

tape backup 






HgKHin 



• 




HM 



■ 




Personal computers have come 
a long way. Unfortunately, tape back- 
up systems have not. Their functions 
are primitive, they're frightening to 
install and truculent to use. 

Genoa's Galaxy™ Systems are 
more highly evolved. So not only do 
they outperform competitive sys- 
tems, but using them is actually some- 
thing that can be done by an ordinary 
human. 

The simpler* The better* 

Our software is what makes 
the difference between our systems 
and everybody else's. And it's de- 
signed to help you use the system easily 
in either of two modes. Namely, menu- 
driven or batch file. 

The menu mode operates true 
to its name, with menus showing all 
the commands you have to choose 
from. Plus, there are multiple window 
displays that show execution status, 
on-line help with examples and how- 
to s, even an editor just in case you 
make a mistake in selecting a com- 
mand. And there isn't a thing you cant 
do from the menu mode because it's 
comprehensive. 

You'll want to use the batch 
mode for routine operations though, 
because it allows you to create a "file" 
to contain those operations and run 
them automatically, just by hitting 
a few keys. You can create your batch 
files easily, too, using the same com- 
mands as the menu mode. 

But probably the best example 
of just how downright civil the Galaxy 
systems can be is our auto backup. 
You just preset the time and the de- 
sired function, and the system does 
the rest. Automatically. 



Enough, 



No other tape backup systems, 
by the way, operate this simply. In fact, 
if you saw what passes for "user- 
friendly" these days, you'd be horrified. 

The features all tape backups 
should have* But don't 

Beginning with our ease of 
installation. 

Before you make your first back- 
up—which is the right time to do this— 
our installation software checks your 
disk configuration 
to make sure your 
tape drive will run 
at top speed. And it 
checks the entire 
system to guarantee 
it will perform as 
promised. Elapsed 
time? About 7 
minutes. 

No competi- 
tive system offers 
anything like it. 

Another thing 
you can do is abort any command at 
any time. So you don't have to sit 
through a 20-minute file-by-file restore 
just because you hit the wrong key. 

Something else not everybody 
can do. 

You can also do a file-by-file 
restore from an image backup. Now 
you'd think everybody could do this, 
but no. It's important though, because 
if you've made an image backup (as 
most people do since it's so fast), you 
want to be able to get back the one 
file you need rather than all the files 
you don't. Hence, file-by-file restore 
from an image backup. 

But whether it's a couple of files 
or a complete image, you'll be pleased 




The JBM®compatible Genoa Galaxies are 
available as internal or external versions of l A 
streaming tape or cassette models. (External 
cassette not shown). 



to know you can restore to any storage 
device, thanks to Galaxy's inter- 
changeability feature. 

Multiple backups on the same 
tape— even from multiple sources like 
a floppy or another hard disk— aren't 
a problem either. The system simply 
starts recording where the last back- 
up ended. 

Or you can use multiple tapes to 
back up very large files. The system 
will just let you know when it needs 
a new tape. And as 
long as you have 
enough tape, you 
can backup as much 
as you like. 

We also per- 
form crc error check- 
ing constantly. We 
can back up a 20Mb 
disk in just over 4 
minutes. And we're 
network compatible. 
Some of our com- 
petitors can do some 
of these things, some of the time. 



What price progress? 

Surprisingly, the Galaxies cost 
somewhat less than tape backup 
systems that offer less. Which includes 
all of them. 

For the Genoa Galaxy dealer 
near you or complete specs, call 408- 
945-9720. Or write Genoa Systems 
Corporation, 73 E.Trimble Road, 
San Jose, C A 95131. 

The Genoa Galaxy SystemsThe 
most civilized tape backup in history. 




Galaxy is ;i trademark of Genoa Systems Corp. 
© 1985 Genoa Systems Corporation. 

Inquiry 144 



JANUARY 1986 • BYTE 73 



The Same 
Only%tter 



The PC AT 
layout 
for the 
PC 



LEDsforall 

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Large, 

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keycaps 



Both 

symbols & 

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■ Available in both Conductive Elastomer and 

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■ Optional output for standard ASCII and Position 

encoding 

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Introductory special only $99 

Normally priced at $125 

Call for volume discounts • Dealers inquiries invited 
Call 1-612.884-7375 

KEY muMMum" ~ 

An SMK Compony 

10800 Normandale Boulevard ["fg" 
Minneapolis, MN 55437 mmm 



PC and PC ATare trademarks of International Business Machines Corporation. 



BOOK REVIEWS 



storage frequently, but they explain it rather cursorily 
mainly with diagrams. 

Program Languages and Illustrations 

Why not program in English? Excessive overhead and ab- 
sent update facilities in network-database processing con- 
stitute the predominant reasons for not doing so. Non- 
professionals currently interacting with a database may 
use codified query languages, but they still must know syn- 
tax and vocabulary. The authors use pseudocode in a 
great numberof sample programs, while they use a variety 
of languages for the algorithms throughout the latter part 
of the book, especially programs for the hierarchical data- 
base systems IMS, DL/l, and System 2000/80. However, 
the authors affirm a trend toward natural languages. 

Each chapter includes an introduction, narrative, sum- 
mary, exercises, and a review filled with stimulating prob- 
lems and questions. A lengthy bibliography closes each 
chapter, while a cumbrous index completes the book. 
Highly visible symbols in the margin of the text keynote 
case examples. A supplementary classroom package avail- 
able to instructors contains answers, teaching suggestions, 
questions, and transparencies. Another supplement con- 
tains case studies for course projects. 

Reference Tool 

Must textbooks always be dull and tedious? While parts 
of this book read easily, much of it is slow .and dry. Never- 
theless, the style is smooth, even-tempered, unequivocal, 
and consistently serious (except for a startlingly funny 
simile likening a data model diagram to an explosion at 
a spaghetti factory). -\ 

The authors tested this book in an introductory course 
on database management and in manag e ment programs. 
Generally, they pro vide reasons for their teaching method; 
they itemize, prioritize, and categorize the logic of doing 
things their way. The text is chock-full of definitions, with 
new terms conspicuous in boldface print. They define 
buzzwords, Latin phrases, and ambiguous terms in paren- 
theses and often use outline formats. Examples and "what 
if" situations abound, including a definition of "real world" 
as one of the realms of abstraction. They list many ad- 
vantages of the personal computer and ascribe a positive 
outlook to it in data-management strategy. 

Data Base Management begins on a dense, abstract, and 
theoretical level. If you are in tune with the authors' idiom, 
you will derive the full worth of the book. While it is a 
textbook for upper-division university and graduate 
students as well as data-processing managers, system de- 
signers will find the tome a valuable tool that contains 
numerous relevant cross-references. It incorporates sound 
advice and practical -suggestions for consultants, too. ■ 

Joseph A. Benderavage (POB 1974, Peterborough, Ontario K9J 
7X7, Canada), a member of the Royal Astronomical Society, is a 
freelance book reviewer published frequently in Canadian computer 
magazines. _•.<•; 



74 BYTE • JANUARY I986 



Inquiry I92 for End-Users. 
Inquiry 193 for DEALERS ONLY. 



CW\ 






«M 






0<^>' 



^ 



<P 



^ LOWEST PRICES 

S^NO SURCHARGE 
^ M ON BANK CARDS 



,wk 



SILICON SP€CinLTI€S 



PRINTERS 

Anadex All Models ..... Save 

Brother All Models 5awe 

Cannon Laser Printer $2099 

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635 $1079 

Other Printer Models $ave 

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6300 $679 

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3510,3550 $989 

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353.0 $935 

8810, 8830, 8850 $1 379 

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Zenith 

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75 $559 

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Alpha Omega Turbo 10 $529 

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MODEMS 

AT&T 

4000 External $309 

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Anchor Express $229 

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KEYBOARDS 

Keytronics 5151 SI 59 

5151 Jr. $179 

Other Models Save 



DISKETTES 

Maxell MD-2 Plastic Box (Qty 100) 

MD-20P!ostkBox(Oty 100) 

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SOFTWARE 



IBM PC and 100% Compatibles 



WORD PROCESSORS 

Leading Edge Word Processor $50 

Leading Edge W/P with Spell & Mail $1 37 

Microsolt Word Save 

Multimote 3.3 $206 

PFS-Write $78 

Wordstar w/Tutor $ 1 69 

Wordstar Pro Pack $239 



MONEY MANAGEMENT 

Dollars & Sense w/Forcost $95 

Tobias Managing Your Money $95 



Gem Collection $115 

Gem Desktop $29 

Gem Draw $ave 



Word Perfect (Ver.4.1). . $199 

Wordstar 2000 $239 

Wordstar 2000 Plus . . . $285 



GRAPHICS 

Chortmaster $206 

PC Paintbrush $62 

Turbo Graphix Tool Box $28 

Diogrom Master 1 90 

Dr. Halo $55 

Energraphics , $165 

Energraphics w Plotter Option $214 

Microsoft Chart $172 

PC Draw $203 

PC Draw Light Pen $ 1 04 

PC Point w Mouse $ 1 23 

PC Mouse w Paintbrush $107 

PFS Graph $78 

Printmoster $30 

Signmoster $135 

LANGUAGES 

C Compiler (Microsoft) $235 

Fortran Compiler (Microsoft) $209 

Macro Assembler $89 

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Turbo Pascal 3.0 $35 

Lattice C Compiler Save 

Run C Interpreter $85 

Quick Bosic $59 

Turbo Tool Box $28 



UTILITIES 



I DIR 



$48 



Copy II PC. $19 

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Sidekick (Unprotected) $43 

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Superkey $35 

Printworks $36 

Spotlight $43 

Sidekick— Superkey (Bundle) $65 

TRAINING 

Flight Simulator , . $30 

Typing Instructor $29 

Typing Tutor 111 $29 



PROJECT MANAGEMENT 

Harvard Total Project Manager $239 

Microsoft Project Save 

Super Project $ 1 82 

Timeline 2.0 $249 

COMMUNICATIONS 

CompuServe Starter Kit $ 1 7 

Crosstalk XVI $94 

PFS Access $78 

Remote $94 

INTEGRATIVE SOFTWARE 

Enable 1.1 $329 

Framework Save 

Smart Software System $459 

Symphony Save 

SPREADSHEETS 

Lotus 1-2-3 Save 

Multiplan $114 

Spreadsheet Auditor 2.0 $83 

| Supercalc 3 (Ver.2.1) . . $AVE | 
DATA BASE MANAGEMENT 

Cornerstone $255 

dBose II Save 

dBase III Save 

Nutshell Save 

PFS:File $78 

PFS:Report $70 

Quickccde $ 1 39 

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Extended Report Writer $80 

Think Tonk $93 

Clipper . $355 

Knowledgemon II Save 

Knowledgemon Upgrade Kit. . Save 

Powerbose 

(New Ver. Reb. 320K) . . . $205 



|R:Base 5000. $335/ , 






*&<& 



& 



Prices reflect 3% to 5% cash discount. Product shipped in factory cartons with manufacturer's warranty. Please odd $10.00 per order 
for UPS shipping. Prices & availability subject to change without notice. Send cashier's check or money order. . .all other checks will delay 
shipping two weeks. 

Inquiry 321 for MS-DOS Products. Inquiry 322 for all others. 

I 



<^ 









w 



This is for all the power users 
technologies before they 



Other than Steve Wozniak and Jonathan 
Rotenberg, there are probably only 2,998 personal 
computer users who qualify as trend setters. 
They're the people who owned Apples® when 
everyone else thought Apple® was a record label. 
People who were called hackers when a hacker was 
someone no one wanted to play golf with. 

I lowever many of you there are, this ad is for 
you. It's been designed and written to introduce you 
to a new technology without using superlatives or 
words like revolutionary. (We're saving those words 
for future ads targeted at the general consumer.) 

The new technology is called the Softstrip™ 
System. This ad tells you what it's all about. 
THE SOFTSTRIP SYSTEM ENCODES DATA 
ONTO PAPER. 

Softstrip technology allows text, graphics, 
even digitized sound to be encoded on a strip of 
paper. Providing an alternative to magnetic media 
and telecommunications for the recording, distri- 
bution and retrieving of information. 

These datastrips,each a structured pattern 
of black and white rectangles that look something 
like a condensed bar code, can be encoded with 
special software and read with a scanning device 
called the Cauzin Softstrip System Reader. The 
reader optically scans the strip, translates 
its contents into 8-bit code and 

c , .. . . . Near Infra-red Light l ; 

feeds it into a personal 
computer's serial or cassette 
port, enabling automatic, 
error-free entry of printed 
data without using 

a keyboard. Pre-Amp Electronics 



publishers) , or by using a laser or dot matrix 
printer and special software (appropriate for per 
sonal or business use). 

If you want, you can 
generate strips that can 
be reproduced on a 
copier or versions 
that can't be. Either 
way, any data strip, 
whether it's printed 
in a newspaper, 
magazine or personal 
letterhead, can survive 
pen marks, scratches, 
even coffee stains. 

Basically, anything 
you can put on a magnetic disk you can put on 
a Softstrip data strip, which should suggest 
numerous application possibilities. 

Starting in the next two months, data strips 
will appear in magazines, journals and books. 
These strips will contain program listings, tables of 

Eight Lenses on Rotating Cylinder 




THE ANATOMY OF A STRIP. 

A Softstrip data strip contains not only 
(j) software or data, but also information 
about its content, including 
file types, file name and the 
number of strips. Because 
of its inherent technology, 
strips are as accurate 



as any magnetic 
medium. And they can 
be entered into an 
IBM PCf Apple II® or 
Macintosh® computer 
using the same reader 
with only slightly 
modified commu- 
nications software. 
Strips encode data bit by bit using highly 
structured optical patterns. The bits are each com- 
posed of two rectangles called di-bits. They func- 
tion as optical on/off signals. White/black equals 1. 
Black/white equals 0. 



160 Lenses for Controlling Speed 



Light Pipe 



milling Diode 



Data is organized 
i lines. Each line, 
between 0.01 and 0.04 
inches high and from 
0.5 to 0.76 inches wide, 
contains from two to 
six bytes of data. Line 
width and height are 
varied depending 
upon the quality of 
the paper and printing 
process. The reader 




One Softstrip data strip, typically %" x 9V2", 
can contain up to 5,500 bytes of information. (For 
example, you could fit this entire ad on two strips.) 

Strips can be printed by using a photo- 
graphic negative (ideal for book and magazine 

76 BYTE • JANUARY 1986 



Truck Chassis 



Drive Wheel 



Reader Case 



contents, new product demonstrations and data. 

Eventually, strips may be used for everything 
from bank statements to sheet music. 



scans each data line with a series of raster scans 
0.0025 inches apart providing between four and 
sixteen scans per line. 



who want to know about new 
become household words. 






A close-up view of a strip reveals five distinct 
sections. The header (I) at the top tells the reader 
the number of bytes in a line, the height of each 
line, and the paper to ink contrast level. Running 
vertically down the sides of the strip are the 
startline (2), the checkerboard (3) and the rack 
(4). They identify the boundaries of every hori- 
zontal line to be read. They also work in tandem 
to feed the reader alignment information. 

Contained within the body 
of the strip, between the checkerboard 
and rack, is the file's 
data area (5). 

Strip data accuracy 
is checked and error 
correction is provided 
by parity bits at the begin- 
ning and end of every 
data line, as well as by a 
strip checksum. There is 
also an optional 16 bit 
CRC. Combined, this 
design results in an 
undetected bit error rate 

of less than one bit error per 10,000,000,000 bits. 
IT TOOK GUTS TO BUILD THE READER. 

Rated for 25,000 reads, the reader is an 
equally impressive technology. It's composed of 
two key components: the case and the truck. 
While the case sits still, the truck moves uniformly 
down the length of the strip making a complete 
scan of the strip's di-bit lines every 0.0025 inches. 

As the truck moves down the strip, it tracks 
its own lateral movement within five microns. 
Alignment is controlled by two servo mechanisms. 
As the truck moves, it illuminates the area to be 
scanned using near infra-red light beamed through 
a light pipe. (The infra-red technique permits the 
reader to see through colors, stains, and spills.) 

The reader's optical scanning system, 
containing eight rotating cylindrical lenses and 
an aspherical corrector lens, forms an E12 
optical system with a depth of field between 
0.05 and 0.08 inches. A set of 160 addi - j 

tional cylindrical lenses on the rotating 
lens allow the system to control 
scanning speed. 

Inside the reader, the median - 
ical system uses six AGMA-7 high 
precision plastic molded gears to 
provide very accurate truck movement. 
One gear system even allows for a 4000 
to I angle reduction with no backlash 
for corrector lens alignment. 

ATMS 7040 8-bit processor and 
Cauzin's own custom VLSI chip provide 

Inquiry 55 



BASIC Business Subroutines 



reader logic, control and communications using 
four nested phase locked loops and several hard- 
ware and software servos. The reader transmits 
data to the host at 4800 baud burst rates with 
throughput of 1500 baud. 

HOW TO CREATE YOUR OWN STRIPS. 
There are two ways to create Softstrip™ data 
strips. For large volume and greater density- up 
to 5500 bytes per strip -a film negative is created 
using special Cauzin software 
and hardware. This is ideal 

for book, magazine, 



,•■., 



newsletter, data base 
and commercial 
software publishers 
who can reproduce 
a strip in volume 
using web, offset, 
gravure or simi- 
lar processes. 

For personal or 
business applica- 
tions, 500 to 1000 
bytestripscanbe 

generated using Cauzin licensed software on dot 

matrix printers; up to 3400 byte strips can be 

generated using other Cauzin licensed software 

and laser printers. 

In the next few months, you should start to 

see data strips appear 

in popular computer 

magazines, some 

new computer 

books, and those 




■HI 




consumer ads we 
told you about 
earlier. They'll look 
exactly like the 
working strip you 
see here, a medium 
density strip with 
an ASCII text 
file on it. 

Of course 
you'll be able to 
purchase a reader 
at most computer 
dealers. They'll be 
selling for about 
$200.00. Contact 
your dealer soon 
for a demonstration. 
Or call us directly 
at 203-573-0150. 



Apple* and Macintosh* are 
registered trademarks of 
Apple Computer Inc. 

Apple* is a registered trademark 
of Apple Records, Inc. 

Softstrip® and the Softstrip* 
System Reader are trademarks 
of Cauzin Systems, Inc. 




fill 



fill 






gj^ggfll 




Cauzin Systems, Inc., 
835 South Main St., Waterbury CT 06706 



JANUARY 1986 -BYTE 77 



EVENT QUEUE 



]anuary 1986 



Introduction to Digital 
Signal Processing & Fil- 
tering; Mini- and Micro- 
computer Concepts; and 
Microprocessor Hardware 
and software-an intro- 
DUCTION, Milwaukee. WI. 
John T. Snedeker, University 
of Wisconsin-Milwaukee/Ex- 
tension. 929 North Sixth St., 
Milwaukee. WI 53203. (414) 
224-4193. January 

Microcomputer and Com- 
munications Seminars, 

various sites throughout the 
U.S. Center for Advanced 
Professional Education, 
Suite I 10. 1820 East Garry 
St., Santa Ana. CA 92705. 
(714) 261-0240. January 

Micro Shows and Flea- 
markets, Philadelphia, PA, 
Secaucus, NJ. and Boston. 
MA. Ken Gordon Produc- 
tions Inc.. POB I 3. Franklin 
Park, N) 08823, (201) 
297-2 526. January 

Robotics: Future Trends 
in the 1980s, Des Moines, 
IA. The Des Moines Center 
of Science and Industry, 
4 500 Grand Ave., Des 
Moines, IA 50312. (515) 
274-4138. January 

Communications/Micro- 
computer Curriculum, 

various sites throughout the 
U.S. Datapro Research Corp.. 
1805 Underwood Blvd.. 
Delran, NJ 08075. (800) 
328-2776. January-February 

Intensive Seminars for 
Professional Develop- 
ment, Boston. MA. area. 
Kathy Shaw, Office of Con- 
tinuing Education/Higgins 
House. Worcester Poly- 
technic Institute. Worcester, 
MA 01609. (617) 793-5517. 
}anuary-March 



Symphony Seminars, 
various sites throughout the 
U.S. Automated Digital Of- 
fices, 45 5 5 Mac Arthur Blvd., 
Washington. DC 20007. 
(202) 337-1393. 
January-March 

Computer Competence 
Seminars, Boston. MA, 
area. Boston University 
Metropolitan College. 75 5 
Commonwealth Ave.. 
Boston, MA 02215. (800) 
25 5-1080; in Massachusetts, 
(617) 738-5020. ]anuary-April 

Computer Short Courses, 

various sites throughout the 
U.S. Integrated Computer 
Systems. 6305 Arizona 
Place. POB 4 5405, Los 
Angeles. CA 90045. (800) 
421-8166; in California, (800) 
3 52-82 51 or (213) 417-8888. 
January-April 

Systems Seminars, various 
sites throughout the U.S. 
Ken Orr & Associates Inc., 
172 5 Gage Blvd., Topeka, 
KS 66604-3379, (800) 
2 55-2459; in Kansas, (913) 
273-0653. \anuary- April 

Microcomputer/Engineer- 
ing Courses, various sites 
throughout the U.S. Continu- 
ing Engineering Education, 
The George Washington Uni- 
versity, Washington, DC 
20052. (800) 424-9773; in 
Washington, (202) 676-6106; 
in Canada, (800) 535-4567. 
}anuary-May 

1986 International 
Winter Consumer Elec- 
tronics Show, Las Vegas, 



NV. Consumer Electronics 
Shows. 2001 Eye St. NW. 
Washington, DC 20006. 
(202) 4 57-8700. \anuary 9-12 

Interfacing Sensors with 
the IBM PC, Madison, WI. 
E. K. Greenwald, Department 
of Engineering Professional 
Development. University of 
Wisconsin-Madison, 432 
North Lake St.. Madison, WI 
53706. (608) 262-0573. 
\anuary 13-15 

MOS Analog/Digital Inter- 
face Circuit Design for 
VLSI Digital Systems, San 

Francisco, CA. Continuing 
Education in Engineering. 
University of California Ex- 
tension. 2223 Fulton St.. 
Berkeley, CA 94720, (415) 
642-4151. \anuary 13-15 

Data Recovery; What To 
Do When It All Goes 
Wrong, Phoenix. AZ. In- 
dependent Computer Con- 
sultants Association. POB 
32115. Phoenix. AZ 85064. 
January 14 

Macworld Exposition. San 

Francisco. CA. World Exposi- 
tions, Mitch Hall Associates. 
POB 15 5, Westwood, MA 
02090. (617) 329-7466. 
\anuary 16-18 

Advanced Semiconductor 
Equipment Exposition & 
Technical Conference, San 
Jose. CA. ASEE '86 Show 
Manager, Cartlidge & 
Associates Inc.. Suite M2 59. 
1101 South Winchester Blvd.. 
San Jose, CA 95128. (408) 
554-6644. January 21-23 



IF YOU WANT your organization's public activities listed in BYTE's Event 
Queue, we need to know about them at least jour months in advance. Send 
information about computer conferences, seminars, workshops, and courses 
to BYTE, Event Queue. POB 372, Hancock, NH 03449. 



Writing Better Computer 
Software Documentation 
for Users, Research 
Triangle Park. NC. Irish 
Stolton, Department of Con- 
tinuing Education, Georgia 
Institute of lechnology, 
Atlanta, GA 30332-0385. 
(404) 894-2 547. 
\anuary 21-23 

Sixth Annual Florida In- 
structional Computing 
Conference, Orlando, FL 
Jill Draper. Florida Depart- 
ment of Education. Educa- 
tional Technology Section, 
Knott Building. Tallahassee, 
FL 32301. January 21-24 

Animating Escher with 
Computer Graphics; Spe- 
cial Effects; and Fractals, 
Computers, and DNA. New 
York, NY. Gideon Nettler, 
Department of Mathematics 
and Computer Science, 
Montclair State College. 
Upper Montclair. NJ 07043. 
(201) 893-4294. )anuary 22 

Making Sense of Data 
Communications; T-l 
Facilities and Networking, 
Orlando. FL. Timeplex Inc.. 
400 Chestnut Ridge Rd.. 
Woodcliff, NJ 07675. (201) 
391-1111. January 22-23 

1986 Measurement Science 
Conference, Marriott Hotel. 
Irvine, CA. Dennis Pinnecker, 
Measurement Science Con- 
ference, POB 1294, Corona. 
CA 91718. (714) 632-3923. 
\anuary 23-24 

Communications Networks 
'86, Washington, DC. CW 
Conference Management 
Group. Box 880, Framing- 
ham, MA 01701, (800) 225- 
4698: in Massachusetts. 
(617) 879-0700. 
January 28-30 ■ 



78 BYTE • JANUARY 1986 




Pick A Racehorse, A Workhorse, 
Or Vour Choice Of Saddles 



VAR's & VAD's now have a 
choice of PC and AT compatible 
computers and a complete range of 
enhancement products all in one 
place. And you won't be dealing with 
rookies either. Basic Time has been a 
computer manufacturer and 
distributor since 1975. We have the 
experience and proven ability to 
offer systems integrators the 
products and service they need. 

Run 

With Our 
Racehorse- 
The ST/AT. 

This 80286 computer 

with 28ms average 

access time 44Mb 

drive runs circles 

around the IBM™ 

AT. It's complete 

with Hercules 

compatible 

monochrome 

monitor (color 

optional), a 

fistful of I/O 

ports, keyboard, 1.2 Mb/360k 

floppy, and 640k of RAM, MS-DOS 

and GW-BASIC. All this and more 

at the lowest price available for an 

AT compatible*. 

Inquiry 33 



Try Our Workhorse- 

The BT/KT. Anew 
standard in price/ performance for 
an 8088 computer. 8 slots, 256k 
RAM, AT type keyboard, Hercules 
compatible monochrome monitor 
and adapter, 20 Meg hard disk, 
floppy drive, 130 watt power supply, 
MS-DOS, and full PC compatibility. 



external modems. Hard disk storage 
is simple and reliable with our 20 Mb 
systems for PC's and BT44 and BT70 
Mb drives for AT's. Tape backup 
systems are available to secure your 
data too. Need more memory and 
I/O ports? The BT6Plus and 
AT4x4Plus multifunction boards 
give you unrivaled bang for your 
buck. 

For more details on how your 
company can offer it's customers 
more performance 
while you con- 
centrate on 
one vendor 
instead of five, 
call or write: 




Vdur Choice 

Of Saddles. Either horse 
you choose we can outfit you 
completely. Our HR series monitors 
support monochrome, color, or 
EGA adapters. Communication is 
easy with Basic Time internal or 



Department B 
3350 Scott Blvd., 
Bldg. 52 
Santa Clara, Ca. 95054 

Inside California 
(800) 841-2474 

Outside California 
(800) 323-8437 



basic Lime 

"Infoworld Sept. 2, 1985, Page 1. 

JANUARY 1986 • BYTE 79 




NETWORK 



BUY HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE AT WHOLESALE + 8%, 
AND GET 14-30 DAY SOFTWARE RENTALS*. . . 

Listed below are just a few of the over 30,000 products available at our EVERYDAY LOW PRICES! 
The Network carries products for Apple, IBM, CP/M and most other popular computer families. 



GAMES & EDUCATIONAL SOFTWARE FOR YOUR APPLE // & MACINTOSH 



(Please add £1 shipping and handlingf or eachtitle ordered from below.) 



Arrays Home Accountant-Mac Only 
Axlon Art Portfolio &CardShoppe 
Bluechip Baron/Millionaire! Tycoon 
Broderbund Loadrunner 
Broderbund Choplitter 
Broderbund Print Shop 
Broderbund Dazzle Draw 
CBS Mastering the GRE 
CBS Murder by the Dozen 
CBS Goren Bridge Made Easy 
Counterpoint The News Room 
Davidson Speed Reader II 
Davidson Math Blaster 
Davidson Word Attack' 
1st Byte Smooth Talker-Mac Only 
Hayden Da Vinci-House/lntenors/Landscapes 
Hayden Sargon III 
Inf ocom Deadline or Suspended 
Infocom Enchanter.Planetlall 
Cutthroats. Witness or Zorkl 
Infocom Hitchiker's Guide orSeastalker 
Infocom Suspect. Sorcerer or Intidel 
Infocom Zork It or III 
Layered Front Desk-Mac Only 
Mirage Concepts Trivia 



S65.00' 


Miles Computing MacAttack-MacOnly 


31.00' 


Palatir Mac Type-Mac Only 


26.00" 


Penguin Graphics Magician 


19.75- 


Penguin Pensale or Xyphus 


19.00- 


Penguin Transylvama-MacOnly 


28.75- 


Professional Software Trivia Fever 


31.97* 


Pryority Software Forbidden Ouest 


53.50* 


Scarborough Master Type 


20.97- 


Scarborough Run tor the Money 


45.00- 


Simon & Schuster Typing Tutorltl 


26.97* 


Sir-Tech Wizardry 


37.97* 


Sir-Tech Knight ot Diamonds 


29.97- 


Sir-Tech Rescue Raiders 


29.97" 


Sublogic N.tght Mission Pmbali 


47.00- 


Sublogic Flight Simulator It 


24.75- 


►Spinnaker AlphabetZoo. Face Maker. 


25.75- 


Kinder Comp. Hey Diddle Diddle. 


24.00- 


Rhymes & Riddles, Story Machine 


20.00- 


►Spinnaker The Most Amazing Thing 




►Spinnaker Delia Drawing 


20.00- 


T/Maker Click Art-MacOnly 


22.00- 


Warner Desk Organizer 


22.00* 


Videx Fun Pack-Mac Only 


65.00- 


Videx MacCheckers& Reversal 


11.00- 


Virtual Combinatics MicroCookbook 



BUSINESS SOFTWARE FOR YOUR APPLE //& MACINTOSH 

(Please add S2.50 shipping and handling for each title ordered from below.) 

S1 60.00" ►Microsoft Word tor Macintosh 

30.00" ►Microsoft File (or Macintosh 

205.00* ►Microsoft Multiplan lor Macintosh 
40.00* MicrosoftSasic tor Macintosh 
20.00" Microsoft Chart tor Macintosh 
34.00* Monogram Dollars & Sense lor Apple He 
60.00" Monogram Dollars & Sense lor Macintosh 
40.00* Odesta Helix tor Macintosh Reg s 5 12K 

101.95" Provue Ovcrvuc-MacOnly 
29.95* Sensible Software Sensible Speller IV 
24.00" Sof tcraf t Fancy Fonts 

1 1 0.00" Sof tech Microsystems UCSD Pascal 
98.00* Software Arts TK Solver! lor Mac 
65.00" Software Publishing PFS File. Write, or Graph 
67.00" Stoneware DB Muster-Mac Tool 

1 05.50" Telos Fitevision lor Mac 



►Apple Apple Works 

Borland International Turbo Pascal 

BP\GL.APAR.PR.orlNV 

Broderbund Bank Street Writer 

Central Point CopyllPlus or CopyltMac 

Funk Software Sideways 

Funsoft Macasm 

Haba Habadex 

Haba Quartet 

Harvard Mac Manager 
►Human Edge MmdProber 
►Human Edge Sales Edge 

Human Edge Communication Edge 
► Living Videotext Think-Thank-M,'ic Too ' 

Main Street Filer-Mac Only 

MECA Managing your Money 



S23.00- 
23.50- 
28.97- 
20.00- 
20.00* 
19.00* 
21.00* 
26.50* 
26.00- 
28.25* 
26.97* 
18.97- 
18.97- 
20.00- 
27.25* 
15.97- 



20.77- 
24.97- 
25.00- 
65.00- 
19.77- 
25.17- 
21.00- 



S102.00' 
102.00- 
102.00- 
79.00- 
66.00- 
55.00- 
70.00- 
200.00- 
135.00- 
67.50- 
125.00- 
140.00- 
134.00- 
68.00- 
95.00- 
87.50- 



HARDWARE FOR YOUR APPLE //& MACINTOSH 

(Please add shipping and handling charges found in italics next to price.) 

MODEMS 



DISK DRIVES 








Wholesale 


Alps AP- 100 A Dual Apple Drives in 


S309.00* 


17 00) 


OneCase 






Apple MAC 400KB External Drive 


349.95* 


(7 501 


Corvus 5 5MB Hard Drive 


939.00* 


120 281 


(Omega Macnoutit 5MG Removable 


1,250.00* 


(27 00) 


Onve tor Macintosh 






MicroSciA2 143KB Drive 


150.00- 


15 00) 


Just like Apple's Own 






Micro Sci Floppy Controller 


55.00- 


(2.501 


►Paradise Mac 10MB Hard Drive 


750.00* 


1 76 20) 


Subsystem 






► Paradise Mac 20MB Hard Drive 


950.00- 


(20 52) 


Subsystem 






► PC Network 140KExternalDrive 


95.00* 


(2 50) 


torApplellc 






Rana Elite 1 163K Drive 


225.00- 


(5 00) 


Tecmar 5MB Removable Drive lor MAC 


999.00- 


(21 58) 


Tecmar 10MB MAC Dnve 


999.00- 


(21 58) 


Tecmar 5MB MAC Drive Upgrade 


1.235.00- 


(26 68) 


BOARDS AND BUFFERS 




ALSZ-Eng/ne 


S11 5.00* 


(2 50) 


AST Multi 1/0-2 serial/Clock 


1 55.00* 


(2 50) 


Microsoft Premium Sottcard lie 


243.67* 


(2 50) 


Microtek DumplmglGX 


55.00* 


(2 50) 


Orange Micro Grappler * 


66.00- 


(2 50) 


Orange Micro Serial Grappler 


66.00* 


(2 50) 


PC Network ZBOCard 


35.00- 


(2.50) 


Quadram APIC/G Graphics Interlace 


62.00* 


(2 50) 


Quadram e RAM- 60 


88.00* 


(2 50) 


Quadram Multicore- 1 Parallel/ 1 Serial! 


140.00- 


(2 50) 



104.00- (2 50J 



Wholesale 

Hayes Micromodem lie w/Smattcom S125.00" ( 2 50) 

Novation Apple Call)' 174.45" (3 50) 

Prometheus 1200 A 276.00" (6 00) 

Low Cost 1200 Baud internal Modem lor Apple It 

Prometheus Promodem 1200 299.00" (6 00/ 

w/MacPack 

ZoomZoom/Modemlle 90.00* (2 50) 

Micromodem Compatible-Free Dow Jones 



ACCESSORIES 

Apple Mac/mos/i Carrying Case S69.00" (149) 

Apple Macintosh Security Kit 29.00" (1 50) 

Apple Macintosh Numeric Keypad 69.00" (2 50) 

Hayes Mach IllJoystick 31.00' (1.50) 

w/Fire Button lor tie 

Kensington Dust Cover lor MAC 8.25" (1 50) 

or irmgewntcr 

Kensington StarterPack 54.00" (3 00) 

Kensington Surge Protector 33.47" (2 50) 

Kensington System Saver Fan 56.97" (150) 

►Koala MacVtsion 158.00" (300) 

Koala Koalapad Touch Tablet 78.00' ( 1 50) 

M&R Sup-R-Mod RF Modulation 44.00" (150) 

PC Network Cooling Fan with Surge 25.00" ( 2.50) 

Protector & Dual Outlets 

PC Network SS/DDDiskettes(Boxol 10) 7.95" (1.00) 

PC Network Macintosh Diskettes 21.95' (I 50) 

Includes Free Flip & File Case 
These Diskettes are Guaranteed lor Ule! No Generics' 

Sony MAC Diskettes (Box ot 10) 22.95' (1 50) 



GAMES & EDUCATIONAL SOFTWARE FOR YOUR IBM 

(Please add SI shipping and handlingf oreach title ordered from below.) 
Wholesale 

S23.00" ►Infocom Deadline, or Suspended 
23.00" Microsoft Flight Simulator 

Mouse Systems PC Paint-Turn your PC 

into A Color Macintosh ' 
Scarborough Masterly pe 



ATI Intro to PC DOS Vol I & It 
ATl/n'ro'oaAS/C 

Bluebush Chess (Your Toughest Opponent) 
Bluechip Millionaire/Oil Baron or Tycoon 
Broderbund Lode Runner 
CBS Goren-Bndge Made Easy 
CBS Mastering the SAT 
CDEX Training lor Word Star 
Comprehensive Intro to Personal Computing 
Davidson Math Blaster. Word Attack) 
Davidson Speed Reader II 
Hayden Sargon /// 
Individual Protessor DOS 
Individual The Instructor 
►Infocom Zork lor Witness 



Wholesale 
S24.00- 



34.00* 
28.25* 
19.75* 
40.00- 
50.00- 
37.25- 
32.00- 
26.50* 
36.50' 



Sierra On-LineK/ngs Quest// . 
Sierra On-Line Crosstire 
Spectrum Holobyte GATO 
► Spinnaker Alphabet Zoo, Kinder Comp. 

SloryMachme, FaceMaker. Hey Diddle. Diddle. 
Rhymes & Riddles 
25.75" ►Spinnaker Delta Drawing 
32.50' ►Spinnaker Most Amazing Thing 
24.50" Sublogic Night Mission Pmbalt 
20.00" Virtual Combinatics Micro Cookbook 



27.00" 
27.00" 
18.00* 
18.00* 
15.97" 



24.37" 
20.77" 
20.00" 
21.00" 



BUSINESS SOFTWARE FOR YOUR IBM 

(Pleas'e add S2.50 shipping and handlingf or each title ordered from below. 



►AshtonTate DBase II $365.00* 

► Ashton-Tate Framework II 365.00" 
Borland Turbo Pascal 25.75* 
Borland Side Kick (Protected 26.00" 
Borland Superkey 32.00" 
BPIG/L.A/RorA/P 305.00* 
BPlAura 265.00" 
BPI Personal Accounting 48.00" 
Breakthrough Timeline 230.00* 

►Central Point Copy II PC 20.00" 

Conceptual Instruments Desk Organizer 157.00* 

Digital Research DR Logo 75.00* 

Digital Research Gem Desktop 25.00* 

Digital Research Gem Draw 73.00* 

Enertronics Energraphics with Plotter Option 190.00* 

Funk Software Sideways 34.00* 

►Harvard Harvard Protect Manager 175.00* 

Haivard Total Project Manager 225.00* 

►Hayes Smaricom It-New VT100 Emulator 68.00* 

►Human Edge The Management Edge 137.50" 

► Human Edge The Sales Edge 110.00' 
►Human Edge Mind Prober 26.50" 

Lif etree Volkswriter Delux 1 35.00" 

► Lotus Development Lotus 1-2-3 285.00" 
MDBSKnow/edgemao/2 295.00* 
MicroPro Wordstar 2000 219.00* 



■) 

MicroPro Wordstar 2000*- 

MicroRim RBase 5000 

Microsof tC Compiler 

Microsoft Word -Latest Version 2 

Microsoft Multiplan 

Microsoft Mouse 

Monogram Dollars & Sense 
►Muttimate Multimate (Latest Version) 

Norton Norton Utilities 3.0 

OasisTheWordPlus 

Open Systems P/O SalesA/RINVG/L A/P 
TeamMgr. 

PowerBasePowerBase 

Real World GIL A/PAIRorOE/INV 

RosesoftPro/cey Version 3 

RyanMcFailandflMCOSO/. (Dev. System) 
►Samna Samoa /// Word Processor 
►Samna W0rd + 
►Satelite Software WordPerlect 

SoltcraftFancyFonts 

Software Arts TKISolver 

Software Publishing PFS: File. Write. Graph 

Software Publishing PFS: Report 

Sorcim Supercalc III 

Xanaro Ability 



S262.00* 
300.00* 
220.00* 
205.00* 

95.00- 
107.00* 

95.00* 
190.00- 

46.00* 

75.00* 
ea.275.00* 

197.00* 
ea.275.00* 
65.00- 
520.00* 
227.00- 
320.00- 
190.00- 
125.00* 
200.00* 
68.00- 
64.00* 
169.00- 
247.50* 



HARDWARE FOR YOUR IBM 

(Please add shipping and handling charges found in italics next to price.) 



DISK DRIVES 



MODEMS 



S2.1 49.00" (46.42) 



lOmega BernoulliBox 
Dual 10MG Drives 
Maynard WS- 1 lOMBIntemalHardDisk 730.00* (15. 77) 
Maynard WS-2 same as WS-1 but with 930.00* (20.30) 

SandstaarFloppyControtlerfuses 1 slot) 
►PC Network 10MB INTERNAL Height 330.00* (7 13) 

Autoboot Drive Newlower price 
Drives byShugartor Tandon 
PC Network 10MB Tape Backup 460.00' (8 94/ 

Same unit used in Compaq's DeskPro! 
*PCNel*orkH<3llHeightDS/DDDmes 59.00* (127) 

►Tandon TM 100-2 Full Height DSIDD Drives 93.00* (2.20) 
Tallgrass 25MB Exlcmal/HardDisk 2,375.00- (5 1 30) 

with 60MB Tape Backup 
*TeacFD55-BHal(HeighlDS/DDDrives 90.00* (1 94) 

►Teac 1.2MB Hall Height Disk Drive lor AT 11 0.00* 12.40) 

MULTIFUNCTION CARDS 

Apparat AT Ram Expansion card S139.00" (2.50; 

►ASTS/x-PackP/us With 64K 195.00* (2 50/ 

AST/ 10 Plus II 120.00* (2.50/ 

AST Advantage lor AT 355.00" (2 50/ 

Everex/Wag<cCard/64K 160.00" f2 50/ 

►PC Network 512 K Memory Boar dwl OK 69.00" (2 50/ 

PC Network Six-PackClonew/OK 89.00" (2.50/ 

Fu/iSix-Pac/iFeafures-GamePorfSfandard 
Direct Import Irom Taiwan at a Fabulous price' 
1 year Warranty-Money back Guarantee 

►PC Network I/O Plus II Clone 69.00" (2 50/ 

SerlPar/Game/Clock standard 

Quadram ImprovedOuadboardw/OK 170.00" (2.50/ 

TecmarCaptam Mulhlunction Cardw/OK 146.00- (2 50/ 



ASTfleacri'SriorfSfoi 1200Baud 

Internal Modem 
HavesS/nartmodem '2008w/'rjNew 

Smartcom IIIVTI00 Emulator 
Hayes Smar (modem 1200B Alone 
Prometheus Promodem 1200B Internal 
Quadram Ouadmodem II 1200Baud 

Hall Card w/Crosstalk XVI 



Wholesale 
S345.00* (2 50/ 



265.00* (250/ 
225.00- (250/ 
275.00* (2 50/ 



VIDEO CARDS 

Hercules ColorCardw/Parallel Port $142,00" (2.50) 



263.00* (2 50/ 
235.00" (2 50/ 



69.00" (2 50/ 
299.00" (2 50/ 
199.00" (2 50/ 



►Hercules Monochrome Graphics Card 

Paradise Modular Graphics Card 
►PC Network Hercules Mono Card Clone 

W0°h Hercules Compatible' 
►PC Network Color Card 

Persyst Bob Card Ultra High Res Color 
►STB GraphixPlusll 

(simultaneous Mono Graphics & Color) 

ACCESSORIES 

► Brand Name DS/DD Diskettes S895- (100) 

Guaranteed tor Lite 1 Not Generic' 
►DS/DD Bulk Rate Special .59' ea. 

Packaged in 50 with sleeves and labels 
Guaranteed torLite! 

► PC Network Replacement 130 Watt 76.00- (210) 

IBM-PCPowerSupply-Gives your PC the same 
Capacity as an XT Good foraddin TapeDrives 
(without need tor a piggybackunit) and large 
capacity disk drives. 
SMAPCOoucumate; Keyboard Templates 9.99* (J 00) 

tor Lotus/DBase/Multimate and others (Each) 



MEMORY CHIPS 



MONITORS 



COMPLETE SYSTEMS 



►64K Memory Upgrade Kits (9 Chips) 

Ouantity Discounts Available ' 
►64 K Dynamic Ram Chips (Each) 
►256K Dynamic Ram Chips (Each) 
► 128K IBM AT Piggyback Chips (Each) 



S5.40' (1 00) 



(100) 
(I 00) 
(100) 



300- 
4 00' 



EXTERNAL MODEMS 



Anchor Signalman Express 


S205.00- 


(5 00/ 


Hayes Smartmodem 300 


125.00- 


(5 00/ 


HayesSmartmodem 1200 


340.00- 


(5 00/ 


Hayes Smanmod em l200Bwilhnew 


317.00* 


(2 50/ 


Smaricom IIVT100 Emulator 






HayesSmartmodem 1200BAIone 


265.00* 


(2 50/ 


►Hayes Smartmodem 2400 


535.00* 


(5 00/ 


Prometheus Promodem f200 


276.00- 


(6 00) 


External 100% HayesCompalible 






► U.S. Robotics Courier 2400BPS Modem 


450.00- 


(5 001 


► U.S. Robotics Password 


195.00- 


<4 00) 


LOWEST PRICE 1200BPS Modem' 







Wholesale 

Amdek Video 300G Composite Green S11 0.00* (3 00) 

Amdek Video 300A Composite Amber 120.00" (3 00) 

Amdek Video 3 10 A IBM Type Amber 130.00" (3 00) 

Amdek Color300-Composite 215.00" (4 64) 

Amdek Color 600-High Res RGB 365.00" (7.88) 

Amdek Color 7 00- Ultra High Res 455.00" (9.83/ 

AmdekCo/or7*0-700w/A/onG/are 475.99* (f0.48/ 

Long Phosphor 

Princeton HX-12RGB Monitor CALL 

Princeton MAX-12e CALL 

Work with Color or Mono Card! 

Quadram QuadchromellNew' 350.00" (7 56/ 

640X200 RGBwl 14' Screen! 

Black, Phosphor Mask/IBM Case 

► Samsung 12" TTL IBM Type Amber 85.00' (5 00J 

A great looking/ performing monochrome Irom the 

manufacturer ot IBM's own color monitor 

Taxan 440 Super Hi Res RGB 495.00* (7069/ 

Currently Avail able works with PersyslBobCard 

Zenith ZVM 1230A GreenHiRes/ 81.00' (t 75) 

NonGlare 



Apple Macintosh Base Systems 
M&76300PCCPU2 

128K/2 Floppy/ 1 Serial/ 1 Parallel 
AJ&7 7300UnrxPC 

10MB HardDisk/1 Floppy/ 512K 
COMPAQ DeshPro/rapeBac/tupSysler 

W/640KI I Floppy! 10MB Hard Disk! 

10MB Tape Drive/Monitor 



Wholesale 
$2,235.00- (48 28/ 



Wholesale 
CALL ►COMPAQHardO's/rPorfaij/e 

S1.575.00- (34 02) 10MBHardDisk/Floppy!256K 

►IBMPCSase System 2DSDD/FDC/256K 1,425.00" (30 78/ 
3,699.00" (79.90) MBMPC Professional Hard Disk 1,709.00" (36 91) 

IBM PCI AT Base System- 1.2MB 2,795.00" (60 37) 

2,951.94" (63.70) Floppy!256K 

IBM AT Protessional System CALL 

1 2MB Floppy 120MB Hard Disk/ 1 Serl I Par! 51 2 K 



PRINTERS 



TERMS & CONDITIONS 

'PC NETWORK- Members pay just 8% above the wholesale price, plus shipping. All prices relied a 2% cash discount. 
Minimum shipping $2 50 per order International orders call for shipping & handling charges Money Orders, personal 
andcompany checks please allow 50 working days lo clear All prices subiccl to change without notice! 

tRENTBEFORE YOU BUY-Members are eligible lo join the NETWORK'S Businessand Game soltwareRental Libraries 
and evaluate products (or a full 14 (Regula r) or 30 (VIP) days to see it il meets your needs And The NETWORK'S rental 
chargesare far less than othersoflware rental services-Just 20% OF THE MEMBER WHOLESALEPRICE. Rental titles 
available in tBM/Apple/MAC and CP/M Formats. Hardware prices highlited by ► relied recent major price reductions. 



►Citizen MSP- 10 NEW! 

160CPSIB0COL/Fnc 4 Trac 
►Citizen MSP- 1 5 NE W' 

160CPSI132COL/Fnc * Trac 
►Citizen MSP-20 NEW' 

200CPS!80COL!Fnc . Trac 
►Citizen MSP-25 NEW' 

200CPS!132COL!Fnc ♦ Trac 
►Citizen Premiere 35 NEW' 569.00' 

35CPSDaiseywheeU132COLI Fric + Trac 
►Epson LX-80 100CPS80COL LQMode 199.00' 

New Model" 
►Epson FX-85 
►Epson FX-185 
Epson LO-/500 
Epson SQ2000NEW'lnk)elPnntei 



S265.00* 



350.00* 
350.00* 



499.00' 



299.00- 

429.00* 

799.00- 

1.359.00- 



(5 72/ 

(7.56) 

(756) 

(10 76) 

(12 29) 

(4 30) 

(6 46) 
(927) 
(1726) 
(29 35) 



1 06CPS LO Model ' 76CPS Draft/ 1 32COL 
Epson DX- 35 35CPS 569.00" ( 1 2 29) 

Letter Quality Printer 
►NEC 2030 20CPSLO Parallel 605.00' (1300) 

► NEC 2050 20CPS Letter Quality Printer 605.00" (1300) 



>HEC 353033CPSLO Parallel S 

►NEC 3550 33CPS Letter OuaMy Printer 
►NEC 8850 55CPSPrmler 1 

► N EC Pm writer 2 New' Color Dot Matrix 
Okidala ML 182New 120CPSILO 

Model FncllBM Graphics + more 
Okidata ML 192 New Sleek Design! 

160CPSILO Mode/Fric/IBM Graphics 
Okidata Color20 80CPS1 100 + 

CotorslLOModellBM Graphics! + More 
(Requires Interlace) 
Okidata IBM Interlace lor Okimate 

Color 20 
Okidata ML84P 200CPS 132COL 
Okidata ML93P 160CPS Wide Platen 
Okidata 2410PPacemark 350COL 
QumeSpnnl 11/40 40CPS LetterOuality 1 
Star Micronics Power type IBCPS 

Letter Quality 
Toshiba P!340 80COLI 144CPS 
Toshiba P35 1 New' 288CPSH32COL 



888.00* (19 18) 
920.00* ('987/ 
.330.00* (28 73/ 
599.00* (12 94/ 
CALL 

CALL 



CALL 

CALL 

CALL 

CALL 
,155.00- (24 00) 
300.00* (648) 

450.00* (9 72) 
975.00* (21.00) 



PC NETWORK • MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION 
YES! Please enroll me as a member in the PC NETWORK™ and send my catalog featuring 
thousands of computer products, all at just 8% above DEALER WHOLESALE PRICES. I will 
also periodically receive "THE PRINTOUT", a special up-date on merchandise at prices 
BELOW even those in my wholesale catalog, and all the other exclusive, money-saving 
services available to Members. 
I am under no obligation to buy anything. My complete satisfaction is guaranteed. 



Please check (*^) all boxes that apply: 
• Basic Membership 
With 14 Day Rentals 

□ One-year membership for $8 

□ Two-year membership for $15 (SAVE $1) 
D Business Software Rental Library for 

$25 add'l. per year — members only 

□ Games Software Rental Library for 
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316 

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With 30 Day Rentals 
D One-year membership for $15 

□ Two-year membership for $25 (SAVE $5) 

□ BOTH Business and Game Software 
Rental Libraries for $30 add'l. 
peryear — V.I. P. members only 



D American Express 



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D Check or money order enclosed for $. 

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Address 

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Date. 



mo. year 



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My computer(s) is: D IBM PC □ IBM-XT □ IBM-AT D Apple II D Macintosh □ Other 

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PC NETWORK • MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION 
YES! Please enroll me as a member in the PC NETWORK™ and send my catalog featuring 
thousands of computer products, all at just 8% above DEALER WHOLESALE PRICES. I will 
also periodically receive "THE PRINTOUT", a special up-date on merchandise at prices 
BELOW even those in my wholesale catalog, and all the other exclusive, money-saving 
services available to Members. 
I am under no obligation to buy anything. My complete satisfaction is guaranteed. 



Please check (i^) all boxes that apply: 
• Basic Membership 
With 14 Day Rentals 

□ One-year membership for $8 

□ Two-year membership for $15 (SAVE $1) 

D Business Software Rental Library for 
$25 add'l. per year — members only 

D Games Software Rental Library for 
$10 add'l. peryear — members only 



316 



□ Bill my 


credit card: 


□ 


VISA 


D 


MasterCard 


□ 


Amer 


ican Express 


Account 
Number: 









































Special V.I. P. Membership 
With 30 Day Rentals 
One-year membership for $15 
Two-year membership for $25 (SAVE $5) 
BOTH Business and Game Software 
Rental Libraries for $30 add'l. 
peryear — V.I. P. members only 



Exp. 
Date. 



□ Check or money order enclosed for $ _ 

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Address 

City 



mo. year 



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PC NETWORK 

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COMPLETE SYSTL 

' ni local warranty service available in most major me\ 




IBM PC BASE 
SYSTEM 

IBMPCw/256K 

Floppy Drive Controller 
2 Double Sided Double 

Density Disk Drives 
Mix and Match with 

your Favorite Monitor 

and Printer! 

$1,425.00* 




IBM PC 
HARD DISK SYSTEM 

IBMPCw/256K 
Floppy Drive Controller 
1 Double Sided Double 

Density Disk Drive 
Half Height 10MB 

Disk Subsystem 



CALL FOR 

LArESTIBM 

ANNOUNCEMENTS 



■"// ' 



m 



$i,709.o(r 



CUSTOM 

CONFIGURATIONS 

WELCOME 



PORTABLE 
HARD DISK SYSTEM 

W256K/1 Floppy/ 10MB Hard Disk 



compAa 




W/10MB 



$2,235.00* 
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BYTE 



Features 



Product Descriphon: The Atari 520ST THREE BYTE STAFF MEMBERS, Ion Edwards, Phillip Robinson, and Brenda 

by )on R. Edwards, Phillip Robinson, and McLaughlin, have put together a preliminary but detailed evaluation of the 

Brenda Mclaughlin 84 Atari 52 OST. They summarize the hardware of the 520ST as "the 68000 un- 

Oarcia's Circuit Cellar: bounded." Among the features they were impressed with are the quality of 

Build an Analog-to-Digital Converter video output (though you must choose between monochrome and color), the 

by Steve Garcia 104 speec | of { ^ e ^sk i/o, and the variety of ports. An unfinished operating system 

Product Preview: Q&a anc j minimal application software did not dampen their overall impression. 

by )on R. Edwards 120 The sub j ect of analog-to-digital conversion is one that Steve Ciarcia returns 

a^impTT^ PR0,EC p ~ to every few years. He does this largely so that new readers can learn the 

n ^ r ., ^° MP,L c!*,' .J^I J basics. For readers who have been around for a while, he also includes the 

Procedures and Functions , , , , 

by Jonathan Amsterdam .130 latest conversion interface. This month's column is no exception. Steve 

- „ nr . ,. .- ,. discusses the basics and then describes a 16-channel 12-bit high-speed A/D 

Creating Reusable Modules ° r 

by Namir Clement Shammas 145 converter. 

"Q&A" is a product preview about an integrated software package that com- 
Programming Insight: , . , ■ j r-i * -*.u * n * -i-*. ^ 

Easy 3-D Graphics bines word processing and file management with a full macro facility and an 

by Henning Mittelbach 153 effective natural-language interface— your Intelligent Assistant. By entering nor- 

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ mal English phrases and sentences, you can carry on a conversation with your 

Assistant and get a lot of information into and out of your database. Jon 

Edwards provides a sample session in "Q&A," discusses some of its drawbacks, 

and compares it with other natural-language database products. 

Last month, lonathan Amsterdam began a three-part article on a compiler 
for his high-level language called SIMPL. This month, he describes the part 
of the compiler that handles procedures and functions, also known as routines. 
The routines of SIMPL are similar to those of Pascal, and like most routines, 
they're useful for programmers but difficult to compile. 

Large software projects can be undertaken by simply reusing the same 
modules of code in different programs. Modula-2 imposes some restrictions 
to this method, and Namir Clement Shammas, author of "Create Reusable 
Modules," offers a program strategy as a solution. The strategy involves the 
creation of capsule editors, the advantages of which include customization 
of programs, lowered costs, and increased reliability. 

Creating three-dimensional graphics on microcomputers has been a popular 
subject with both BYTE readers and authors. In "Budget 3-D Graphics" (March 
1985), author Tom Clune looked at the program SURF, which includes such 
advantages as hidden-line removal and the ability to rotate the plot around 
three axes. This month we have "Easy 3-D Graphics" by Henning Mittelbach. 
The author has written a low-cost, three-dimensional graphics program for 
the IBM Personal Computer, the Apple Macintosh, and the Apple II family. 



JANUARY 1986 • BYTE 83 



PRODUCT DESCRIPTION 

The 

Atari 520ST 



The 68000 



unbounded 



Editor's note: The following is a BYTE prod- 
uct description. It is not a review— for several 
reasons. Some of the equipment we received, 
such as the hard-disk drive, were prototypes, 
and at the time of this writing, software is 
scarce. Atari has not yet completed its BASIC 
interpreter, and the operating system. TOS, 
remains unfinished. Nonetheless, we are as in- 
tensely interested as our readership in new 
technology, and we feel we have learned 
enough to share some of the results of our in- 
vestigations. We began our work on this de- 
scription as soon as we were able to get a sys- 
tem from Atari. A full review will follow in 
a subsequent issue. 

For many years the public 
has equated the Atari 
name with arcade games 
and joysticks. In truth, the 
Atari 400/800/XL computer line is 
technically at least comparable if not 
better than other 8-bit machines, so 
it should not be a surprise that the 
company's latest venture, the 520ST 
(see photo 1), is a competitive 68000 
system. Indeed, we are most im- 
pressed with the clarity of the graph- 
ics, with the speed of the disk I/O 
(input/output), and with the 520ST's 
value. 

The system is not without its prob- 
lems. The desktop is less effective 
than the Macintosh's, the keyboard 
has an awkward feel, and the current 
operating system makes it impossible 
to switch between high-resolution 
monochrome and low- or medium- 
resolution color without installing the 



other monitor and rebooting. None- 
theless, we are left with a very 
favorable impression; several soft- 
ware-development languages are al- 
ready available, including FORTH, 
Modula-2, and C. With them, you can 
tap the power of the 68000 at a most 
reasonable price. 

System Description 

The Atari 520ST is a keyboard com- 
puter. Like the Commodore 64 and 
the Atari 400/800, the 520ST key- 
board unit contains the microproces- 
sor, the memory, the video and sound 
circuitry, and so on. The power sup- 
ply disk drives, and monitor are ex- 
ternal devices. The 520ST has a vari- 
ety of ports, but there are no internal 
expansion slots. 

The In Brief box on page 90 sum- 
marizes the features of the Atari 
520ST. For $799, you get the CPU, a 
12-inch diagonal monochrome moni- 
tor, and one external single-sided 
double-density floppy-disk drive. For 
$999, you get the same system with 
a 12-inch RGB analog monitor in place 
of the monochrome monitor (see 
photo I). Both systems provide 51 2 K 
bytes of RAM (random-access read/ 
write memory), a Motorola 68000 
microprocessor, MIDI ports with a 
transfer rate of 31,2 50 bps (bits per 
second), a DMA (direct memory ac- 
cess) port with a transfer rate of 10 
megabits per second for a hard disk 
or CD-ROM (compact-disk read-only 
memory), and much, much more. To 
be sure, owners will make some sacri- 
fices. The unit does not have an RF 
(radio frequency) modulator for tele- 
vision output, every peripheral has a 
separate power supply (wire haters 
beware), and the operating system 



currently rests in RAM, stealing over 
200K bytes from your workspace. We 
have summarized other problems 
below, but almost all are insignificant 
when you consider what you do get 
for the money. And rest assured, the 
system works. Our first system, like 
most of the first production units, had 
to have several chips reseated. It now 
functions properly, and we have not 
heard of any similar quality-control 
problems on the latest 520S'fe. 

The Hardware Design 

The heart of the 520ST is the 
MC68000, with its 1 6-bit data bus and 
24-bit address bus, running at 8 MHz 
(see figure 1). The rest of the system 
was designed to stay out of the 
68000's way. (See the 520ST mother- 
board in photo 2.) 

The Atari design team began work 
on the 520ST in May 1984. From the 
start, they had several specific goals 
in mind. The first was to choose a fast 
microprocessor and do everything to 
let it run effectively at full speed. To 
the Atari team, that meant maximiz- 
ing bus bandwidth and relegating as 

[continued) 

]on R. Edwards is a technical editor. Phillip 
Robinson is a senior technical editor, and 
Brenda McLaughlin is an associate news 
editor for BYTE. They can be contacted at 
BYTE, POB 372, Hancock. NH 03449. 



84 B YTE • JANUARY 1986 



by Jon R. Edwards, Phillip Robinson, and Brenda McLaughlin 




. 



g& 




b) 



(c) 







«tt ■ «i | ill ■ lil | m i wti i ,# | iHi| tfi ■ *» ■ „ Hi tui iM ■ Hin 






^N 



Photo 1: The Atari 520SX shown here with the color monitor and two single-sided double-density disk drives, (a) On the right side 
of the keyboard unit are two joystick/ mouse ports, (b) On the left is the \28K-byte ROM cartridge port, (c) The rear of the disk 
drives has specific ports for I/O in and I/O out. 



PHOTOGRAPHED BY PAUL AVIS 



JANUARY 1986 -BYTE 85 



ATARI 520ST 



many mundane tasks as possible from 
the microprocessor to other chips. 
Second, according to Shiraz Shivji, 
Atari's vice president for research and 
development, "We didn't want to rein- 
vent the wheel . . . things that were 
available that could offload the pro- 
cessor—we wanted to use." A direct 
result of that goal was the use of 
several standard chips (such as the 
Western Digital WD1772 for floppy- 
disk-drive control) and use of custom 



CMOS (complementary metal-oxide 
semiconductor) chips for perfor- 
mance, reliability, and manufac- 
turability. All four custom chips— Glue, 
the Memory Controller, the Video 
Shifter, and the DMA chip— share 
many of the 520ST's duties. 

Third, the 520ST had to provide high- 
quality color displays. Finally, the design 
team wanted to give the 520ST ex- 
cellent I/O capabilities. That goal is re- 
flected in both the variety of ports that 



MC68000 MPU 




-=-Ji 



192K- BYTE 
ROM 



CONTROLLER 



128K- OR 512K- 
BYTE RAM 




MC6850 

AC1A 




VIDEO 
SHIFTER 



1 



KEYBOARD 

PORT 



MC6850 

ACIA 



|C — X P=> 

' MIDI PORTS 1^^* 



RGB 
MONOCHROME 



1KBD 



OUT/THRU 
IN 



MK68901 
MFP 



RS-232C 



m port 

■M PARALLEL M| PRINTER 



AY-3-8910 
PSG 



WD1772 

FDC 




PORT 



SOUND 
CHANNELS 



FLOPPY- 
DISK PORT 



DMA 
CONTROLLER 



HARD-DISK 
PORT 



FLOPPY 
' DRIVE 



► HARD DRIVE 



Figure I: The system block diagram for the Atari 520ST. 



surround the 520ST and in the high 
speed of the DMA (hard-disk) port. 

Memory 

The 520ST currently includes 51 2K 
bytes of RAM and 16K bytes of ROM. 
The RAM consists of sixteen 256K-bit 
dynamic RAM chips that are rated at 
1 50 ns (nanoseconds). Atari is already 
talking about 1-megabyte and 
2-megabyte (RAM) versions of this 
same computer. The 68000 CPU (cen- 
tral processing unit) can directly ad- 
dress up to 16 megabytes of ROM 
and RAM, but the present Memory 
Controller chip can only work with 4 
megabytes. The circuit board has 
room, but it will need a slight redesign 
to use the 1 -megabit dynamic RAMs 
when they become available. (The 
1 -megabit chips have two more pins 
than the 16-pin 2 56K-bit chips they 
would replace and also would have 
some of the signals on different pins. 
This change would require a small 
modification in manufacturing.) 

Memory is configured as five 64K- 
byte sets of ROM and one configur- 
able bank of 128K bytes, 512K bytes, 
or 2 megabytes of RAM. (Early in 
1985, Atari mentioned a possible 
128K-byte RAM version of the ST.) 
Software determines the ROM con- 
figuration. A shadow-test algorithm 
that loads a Memory Configuration 
register determines the RAM con- 
figuration. When the computer is 
turned on, this algorithm tries to write 
to and read from memory addresses 
unique to the possible configurations. 

The memory map is shown in figure 
2. The first 2K bytes (lowest address 
values) are reserved for the exception 
vector table and the supervisor stack. 
These 2K bytes— and the I/O space- 
are protected: They can only be ac- 
cessed when the CPU is in supervisor 
mode. Four words of ROM are shad- 
owed at the start of RAM for the reset 
stack pointer and the program 
counter. 

Video Memory 

The Atari 520ST offers three display 
resolutions. The highest resolution is 
a noninterlaced monochrome 640- by 



86 B YTE • JANUARY 1986 



ATARI 520ST 




Photo 2: The Atari 520ST motherboard. 



JANUARY 1986 • BYTE 87 



ATARI 520ST 



--ST MEMORY MAP 




00 0000 
00 0004 
00 0008 


ROM 
ROM 
RAM 


RESET; SUPERVISOR STACK POINTER 
RESET: PROGRAM COUNTER 
OK -BYTE RAM 




• 




02 0000 


RAM 


128K-BYTE RAM 








08 0000 


RAM 


512K-BYTE RAM 




• 




fa 0000 


ROM 


320K-BYTE ROM 




• 




fc 0000 
fc 0004 
fc 0008 

fe ffff 


ROM 
ROM 
ROM 
ROM 


RESET: SUPERVISOR STACK POINTER 
RESET: PROGRAM COUNTER 
192K-BYTE ROM 
OK-BYTE ROM 




• 




ff 8000 
ff 8200 
ff 8400 
ff 8600 
ff 8800 


I/O 
I/O 
I/O 
I/O 

I/O 


CONFIGURATION REGISTERS 

DISPLAY REGISTERS 

RESERVED 

DMA/DISK REGISTERS 

SOUND REGISTERS 




' 




ff faOO 
ff fcOO 


I/O 
I/O 


MC68XXX REGISTERS 
MC68XX REGISTERS 









Figure 2: The 520ST memory map. 




Photo 3: low-resolution graphics offer 16 colors in a 320- by 200-pixel array. 



400-pixel mode that is output at 70 
Hz. The maximum color resolution, 
"medium resolution," is 640 by 200 
pixels with 4 colors (see photo 3). 
Low-resolution color is 320 by 200 
pixels with 16 colors. 

Bit maps in the main RAM store all 
of the displayed images (see figure 3). 
A special interleaving scheme, man- 
aged by the Memory Controller chip, 
allows the CPU and video to share 
memory efficiently. Each display 
mode uses a 32K-byte bit map in 
memory, each starting at a 2 56-byte 
half-page boundary in RAM. This 
memory is a contiguous chunk con- 
figured as n logical planes of 16-bit 
words. The Video Base Address reg- 
ister holds the starting address of dis- 
play memory, a value that is loaded 
into the Video Address Counter reg- 
ister and incremented to determine 
which plane a word is in. 

These registers make video pro- 
gramming straightforward. You 
choose a mode, select the address for 
the start of the screen, and then you 
have a bit-map screen in memory that 
is affected only by the color palette. 

The Video Shifter chip takes words 
from video-display memory (in 
general RAM) and combines them ac- 
cording to the mode selected and the 
position of the word (see figure 4). It 
then interprets the bits as an index to 
the color lookup palette. That infor- 
mation is then shifted out to 3-bit 
digital-to-analog converters that pro- 
duce the analog RGB (red-green-blue) 
output. 

Color Palette 

The 320- by 200-pixel color resolution 
uses four planes, the 640 by 200 color 
resolution uses two planes, and the 
640 by 400 monochrome uses one 
plane. The 16-bit color lookup palette 
has 9 bits of color per entry, 3 bits 
each of red, green, and blue aligned 
on low-nybble boundaries. This ar- 
rangement generates eight levels 
each of red, green, and blue, for a 
total of 512 possible colors. 

The 320 by 200 (four-plane) mode 
can index all 16 palette colors, but the 
640 by 200 (two-plane) mode works 
with only the first 4 palette entries. 



88 B YTE • JANUARY 1986 



ATARI 520ST 



The 640 by 400 monochrome mode 
bypasses the palette, instead employ- 
ing an inverter for inverse video. The 
inverter is controlled by bit of 
palette color 0. Palette color also 
assigns a border color in multiplane 
mode and a white or black border in 
monochrome mode. 

A single call to BIOS (basic input/ 
output system) can change the colors 
in the palette registers. You could 
show all 512 colors on a single screen 
by making such calls on the fly. The 
520ST does not have any hardware 
provision for sprites or player-objects, 
graphics tools that are found in the 
Commodore 64, Amiga, and Atari 
800. It does have bit-blitting, but only 
in the GEM software. 

Memory Controller 

Using the data bus efficiently was an 
absolute priority in the design of the 
520ST. The CPU makes frequent use 
of the bus: The designers noticed that 
between 30 and 40 percent of pro- 
gram instructions would be store and 
load types. And the video display 
needs constant refreshing from mem- 
ory. After all, in a bit-mapped system 
such as this, the display on the screen 
is virtually an image of what is in the 
RAM chips. 

A 68000 running at 8 MHz takes 
500 ns for each memory-access cycle. 
But during the first 2 50 ns of that time 
it isn't looking at the data bus. Instead, 
it is just setting up the address bus 
and performing handshaking func- 
tions. Shivji explains that his team 
decided to use memory chips that 
could be read in a 2 50-ns slot, and 
then to put a Memory Controller 
custom chip between the CPU and 
memory. The same controller also sits 
between the Video Shifter custom 
chip and memory. 

During the first 2 50 ns of the 
68000's 500-ns read cycle, the Mem- 
ory Controller gives the Video Shifter 
access to RAM. Then, when the 
68000 is ready— during the second 
250 ns of the read cycle— the Memory 
Controller turns RAM access over to 
the CPU. The Video Shifter and CPU 
keep taking turns. Because the RAM 
is twice as fast as the microprocessor, 



16-BIT WORD 
4 PLANE 
2 PLANE 
1 PLANE 













PLANE 


PLANE 1 


PLANE 2 


PLANE 3 


PLANE 


PLANE 


PLANE 1 


PLANE 


PLANE 1 


PLANE 


PLANE 


PLANE 


PLANE 


PLANE 


PLANE 



Figure 3: Organization of bit-plane data in memory. 



































3 




12 3 





1 
2 
3 






16 X 9 
LOOKUP 


R 

G 

B 












1 






2 














1 




1 














u 


— 1 























_l 


























INVERTER 


—^MONOCHROME 






L0( 

PL/ 


3IC 


AL 

:s 


Bl 


TVh 


/IAF 


5 




VIDEO-DISPLAY VIDEO SHIFT 
MEMORY REGISTER 






COLOR PALETTE 
AND 3-BIT DAC 



Figure 4: The flow of data from video memory to analog RGB output. 



the 68000 can run at full speed and 
read or write to RAM as it desires 
without disturbing the refreshing of 
the display. More important, CPU 
tasks won't be put on hold while the 
video circuitry makes heavy demands 
on memory for high-resolution data. 
Occasionally, because the 68000 
has an asynchronous bus that you 
cannot lock exactly with the video cir- 
cuitry, missed cycles will occur. All 
that happens is that the CPU has to 
wait one 2 50-ns cycle, a rare event ac- 
cording to Shivji. 

Glue 

The Glue chip reduces the overall chip 
count on the board by integrating the 
functions of many smaller chips into 
one device. Glue generates chip 
selects, handles handshaking (for 
parts that aren't 68000-bus-oriented), 
and generates both the video timing 
and the interrupt controls. Although 
the 68901 handles part of the inter- 
rupt management task, Glue takes the 



interrupt from the 68901 and deter- 
mines its priority with respect to the 
vertical and horizontal interrupts. Glue 
also handles the actual interrupt 
acknowledge cycles. 

I/O Chip 

The 68901 MFP (multifunction periph- 
eral) chip is a standard member of the 
68000 family and provides serial I/O, 
parallel I/O, timers, and counters. It 
has eight parallel I/O pins; a 1 6-source 
interrupt controller with program- 
mable service modes, including poll- 
ing and vector generation; four sepa- 
rate timers with individually program- 
mable prescaling; and a single- 
channel, full-duplex USART (universal 
synchronous/asynchronous receiver/ 
transmitter). 

Sound 

The Yamaha YM2 149 sound chip has 
three independent monophonic 
voices and uses a 2-MHz clock input 

[continued) 



JANUARY 1986 -BYTE 89 



ATARI 520ST 



Name 

Atari 520ST 



Company 

Mari Corp. 

Ijnnyvute, CA 94086 
(408) 745-2000 

Price 

Monochrome system 
Color system 




$799 
$999 



Microprocessor 

Motorola 68000, a 32-/16-bit microprocessor (32-bit intern; 
nonsegmented, external data bus) n_ fining at 8 Mhte 



Main Memory 

512K bytes of dynamic RAM. Expansion to 4 megabytes may be possible in the future 
through the use of a planned 8-slot expansion interface. 




. 



!OM 

Current models contain 16K hytes of bcot-up ROM. Atari intends to release TOS on ROM 
for $20, upgrading ROM to 192K bytes and freeing up that amount of RAM. 

Graphics 

Three modes: 640- by 400-pixel monochrome, 320 by 200 with 16 colors, and 640 by 200 
with 4 colors 

Sound 

Three independent sound channels 

Floppy-Disk Drive 

Bundled, external 3 1 /2-inch single-sided double-density drive with capacity of 360K bytes. 
System supports maximum of two floppy-disk drives. 

Keyboard 

94-key Seiectric-styie QWERTY keyboard with numeric keypad, cur 
rhomboid function keys 




Interfaces 

MIDI in and MIDI out ports 

Monitor port (supports RGB analog, high-resolution monochrome) 

Centronics parallel printer port (supports Epson-compatible printers) 

RS-232C serial port 

Fioppy-disk port 

Hard-disk port (10-megabit-per-second DMA transfer rate) 

128K-byte ROM cartridge port 

Ports for mouse or two joysticks 

HMHHM_ 
Bundled Software 

TOS, including GEM 

/ L J ' ~ogo 

BASIC, when completed 

Optional Peripherals/Expansion 

SF354 single-sided drive 
SF314 double-sided drive 
1-megabyte RAM upgrade (Lemon Micro, Redondo Beach, CA) 




$199 
$299 
$300 



Planned Peripherals 

SMM801 dot-matrix printer, SDM121 daisy-whee 

for cartridge port, 8-slot expansion interface, local-area ri.jwck for NJJDl port, CD-ROM 



to produce tones from 30 Hz up to 
1 2 5 kHz— more than the human audio 
range. The chip also has a noise chan- 
nel. Atari documentation calls this 
chip the PSG (Programmable Sound 
Generator). The three channels of out- 
put are mixed, converted by a built- 
in digital-to-analog converter, and sent 
to a monitor speaker. The designers 
were also able to use some ports and 
registers on the PSG for activities 
completely unrelated to sound gen- 
eration, such as controlling parts of 
the parallel and serial ports. 

The registers for the voices control 
a basic square wave while the Noise 
Generator register controls a frequen- 
cy-modulated square wave of pseudo- 
random pulse width. You can mix 
tones and noise over individual chan- 
nels by using the Mixer Control reg- 
ister. Amplitude registers allow you to 
choose fixed or variable (Envelope- 
register-determined) amplitude. 

DMA Port 

The 520ST ports fill the entire back 
and sides of the keyboard unit (see 
photo 4). One of the strongest fea- 
tures of the 520ST is the built-in DMA 
port. Using a CPU to move large 
blocks of data between memory and 
external devices is neither fast nor ef- 
ficient. DMA was created to provide 
a speedy channel for such transfers 
and to leave the CPU free to calculate. 
Without help from the CPU, the Atari's 
DMA port can move data at 10 mega- 
bits per second, a rate twice the stan- 
dard hard-disk transfer rate and much 
higher, for example, than the Macin- 
tosh, which must make do with a 
much slower serial port. In addition, 
the port can handle up to eight daisy- 
chained devices and is the opening to 
practical use of CD-ROMs and many 
other devices. 

DMA Controller 

The Memory Controller and Glue 
custom chips contain parts of the 
DMA function, but it is the DMA 
custom chip that directs the high- 
speed data transfer through the DMA 
port. The DMA controller and the 
CPU have equal access to the bus: A 

[continued) 



90 BYTE • JANUARY 1986 




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"IBM, IBM PC, XT and AT are registered trademarks of International Business Machines Corp., "APPLE is a registered trademark of Apple Computers Inc., 'TAXAN S5S is a registered trademark of Taxan Corp, *PERSYST B.O.B. 
is a registered trademark of Emulex Corp., "SIGMA 400 is a registered trademark of Sigma Designs, "ARTIST II is a registered trademark of Control Systems, *ST8 400 is a registered trademark of STB Systems, Inc. AT&T 6300 
and 6300 Plus are registered trademarks of AT&T Information Systems, Inc. 



Inquiry 404 for End-Users. Inquiry 405 for DEALERS ONLY. 



JANUARY 1986 -BYTE 91 



ATARI 520ST 



first-come, first-served scheme 
handles contention. Only one DMA 
operation can take place at a time. A 
DMA operation depends on the base 
address, the count, and the read/write 
status values the program loads into 
the DMA Base Address and Counter 
register. In addition, two bits are used 
as address lines to steer the output 
of the DMA to the floppy-disk port or 
to the hard-disk port. 

DMA occurs in bursts, with the 
DMA chip storing information in its 
32-byte FIFO (first-in/first-out) buffer 



and then sending it in a hurry to either 
RAM or to the outside world. The 
DMA chip and the 68000 CPU have 
equal access to RAM and compete for 
the same cycles. The DMA chip's 10- 
megabit-per-second rate is equivalent 
to 1.2 5 megabytes per second or 
62 5K words per second. (The trans- 
fers to and from memory in the 520ST 
are handled in 16-bit words.) The 
68000 can access memory every 500 
ns. That means its maximum bus use 
is 2,000,000 words per second. A 
worst-case calculation (dividing the 




Photo 4: The back panel of the 520ST. From left to right are a reset button, the 
onloff switch, power cable, MIDI out and MIDI in, the monitor port, 2 5-pin Centronics 
parallel printer port, an RS-232C serial port, the floppy-disk port, and the hard-disk 
(DMA) port. Out of view, on the sides, are the joystick! mouse ports and the \2SK-byte 
ROM cartridge port. Unfortunately for left-handed users, the attachment cables for the 
disk drives and for the mouse are short. All but the most inventive users will place the 
drives on the left and the mouse on the right. 




///// //// rv 



/%. :...: 520ST 



- l i'v l v ll * ll > f ¥ l T i ¥¥¥¥¥ l T- 





ffi 



i LI 

_L 



Photo 5: The 520ST keyboard. Wider keytops and the rhomboid shape of the 
function keys lessen the utility of an otherwise full-featured, well-designed layout. 



62 5K words/second rate by the 
2,000,000 words/second rate) shows 
that DMA cannot use more than 33 
percent of the CPU bus cycles. 

A more realistic calculation assumes 
a 5-megabit-per-second rate for DMA 
(the standard rate for hard-disk drives) 
and does not assume that the highest- 
speed bursts of DMA would run con- 
tinuously, or that the CPU would reach 
for memory in every cycle. With these 
assumptions, the DMA would rarely 
borrow even 5 percent of the 68000's 
RAM access cycles. 

Ports 

The serial port is a standard RS-232C 
interface. Some of its signals come 
from I/O port A of the sound chip, 
while others are routed through the 
68901 chip. The serial port can work 
with asynchronous data-transfer rates 
from 50 to 19,200 bps. 

The parallel port supports the 
strobe and busy signals of the Cen- 
tronics parallel interface standard. 
Both I/O port B of the sound chip and 
the 68901 chip help control these 
lines and the eight read/write data 
bits. The parallel lines of the sound 
chip are bidirectional, which could 
lead to some interesting hacking. For 
example, you might convert a parallel 
printer into a scanning device to 
digitize information. The typical data- 
transfer rate is 4000 bytes per second. 

The two MIDI (musical instrument 
digital interface) ports bear special at- 
tention. MIDI is an industry-standard 
interface for computers and musical 
peripherals. The MIDI ports will allow 
the 520ST to attach directly to exter- 
nal keyboards, synthesizers, and other 
equipment. Atari has even been in- 
vestigating the possible use of the 
MIDI ports for inexpensive network- 
ing of 520S r IS. The interfaces work at 
31,2 50 bps for serial transfer of infor- 
mation from the keyboard or a pro- 
gram to and from external devices. 
Data is organized as a start bit, eight 
data bits, and one stop bit. 

One of the 6850 chips controls the 
MIDI serial communication. Up to 16 
channels are allowed on the MIDI bus 
in one of three network addressing 

[continued) 



92 B YTE • JANUARY 1986 



SOLVE PROGRAMMING PROBLEMS 
THE WAY YOU THINK. 

PURE AND SYMBOL. 




Introducing the new APL* PLUS® PC System, Release 5.0 



The shortest distance between 
two points is a straight line. But 
unfortunately, that's not the case in 
programming. 

Most languages require you to go 
through an enormous number of 
steps before an idea becomes reality. 

That's why the APL * PLUS PC 
System is such a dramatic and 
exciting software tool for serious 
PC programmers and application 
developers. 

Instead of requiring you to 
learn— and write— long-winded 
and complicated programs, APL is 
based on your instinctive ability to 
deal in symbols. And once you begin 
using APL's quick notations, you'll 
find it the ideal programming 



environment for all your application 
needs. 

The incredible shortcuts you get 
with APL will let you spend less 
time on drudgery and more time 
creating. Intricate calculations and 
modeling on PC's are a snap. 

The Release 5.0 version features: 

• multi-window, full-screen editing 

• graphics primitives, now with 
EGA support 

• spreadsheet-like numeric 
editing 

• fast Assembler library 

• built-in terminal mode 

• and report formatting. 
Plus concise notation for 

programs like sorting, matrix 
inversions, string searching, 



- ^ 



and more. And the complete pack- 
age price is just $595 with major 
credit cards accepted. 

Actnow, and we'll send you a free 
Convincer Kit. Contact your local 
dealer, or call 800-592-0050 (in 
Maryland, call 301-984-5123) to 
order your system, or for more infor- 
mation about our other APL * PLUS 
products— from our UNIX™ version 
to the new streamlined Pocket APL™ 
Or write STSC, Inc., 
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2115 East Jefferson St., 
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You'll see how symbol 
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time you use them. 




Problem-solving at the speed of thought" 



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APL* PLUS PC System requires 256K and DOS 2.0 ex later. A soft character set can be used for computers with IBM compatible graphics board. A character generator 
ROM or software is included for the IBM PC or selected compatibles. 
a comei company PLUS* WARE and Pocket A P La re trademarks of STSC, Inc. APL * PLUS is a registered trademark of STSC, Inc. UNIX is a trademark of AT&T Bell Laboratories. 



Inquiry 339 



JANUARY 1986 -BYTE 93 



ATARI 520ST 



modes. The Omni mode addresses all 
units simultaneously and is the default 
mode when the computer is first 
turned on. Poly mode addresses each 
unit separately. Mono mode ad- 
dresses each unit voice separately 

Keyboard and Mouse 

The documentation refers to the 94- 
key keyboard (see photo 5) as the Atari 
Intelligent Keyboard because it uses its 
own 1-MHz 6301 microprocessor with 
its own mask-programmed ROM. The 
device scans the keyboard and the joy- 
stick/mouse ports. It provides two-key 
rollover and sends keyboard, mouse, 
trackball, joystick, and time-of-day in- 
formation to one of the 6850 ACIA 
(asynchronous communications inter- 
face adapter) chips on the main com- 
puter board. The lines are bidirec- 
tional, and the 6850 also sends com- 
mands to the keyboard. 
The QWERTY keyboard has a stan- 



dard Selectric-style layout with 10 
rhomboid function keys, a numeric 
keypad, and four cursor-control keys. 
Many applications for the 520ST will 
use two special keys, Help and Undo. 
We found the keyboard layout pleas- 
ant in appearance and extremely 
functional. It closely resembles the 
DEC VT-100 layout. The Control and 
Return keys are well placed, and the 
Return key is a three-key-size reverse 
L shape and hard to miss. The shape 
of the function keys, however, may 
make it difficult to avoid hitting more 
than one. 

More of a problem is the feel of the 
keyboard. Each keytop is %- inch wider 
than the keytops on the Macintosh 
and IBM PC keyboards. As a result, the 
keys seem much more closely packed, 
and you may tend to press two at a 
time more often than usual. In addi- 
tion, the keys on our unit required 
noticeably more pressure than do the 



keys on most other small systems. 
And, because connectors are attached 
to the rear of the unit, it is relatively 
difficult to adjust the keyboard. 

The mechanical two-button mouse, 
which attaches to a port on the right 
side of the unit, has a resolution of 
100 counts per inch and can handle 
a maximum velocity of 10 inches per 
second. It has a good feel. You will 
use the left button for most manipula- 
tions, including select and dragging 
within GEM. The right button is appli- 
cation-dependent. For example, NEO, 
a low-resolution paint program, uses 
the right button to copy images. There 
are keyboard alternatives to all mouse 
functions, though I suspect few of you 
will ever use them. 

Disk Drives 

We were impressed by the high data- 
transfer rate of both the floppy-disk 

[continued] 



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with individually programmed 
transmission rates— 50 to 38.4K baud 

■ Software compatibility with the 8086 
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■ 8K of EPROM contains drivers for 
peripherals, commands for hardware 
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■ Real Time Clock with battery backup 

■ Centronics type parallel printer port 
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The Slicer (without RAM or RAM .. 
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■ IBM compatible monochrome video 

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■ IBM type keyboard port 

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All boards available in kit forms 

The SLICER Bulletin Board (300/1200 baud) 
612/788-5909 

Runs MS DOS generic software; PC DOS 
program operation not guaranteed 
Also available: The /ySlicer 188 $700; 
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Hard Disk $700; W.D. 1002-SHD H.D.C. Bd. 
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QUALIFIED DEALER INQUIRIES INVITED 



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612/788-9481 
Telex 501357 
SLICER UD 



94 BYTE • JANUARY I986 



Inquiry 323 for End-Users. Inquiry 324 for DEALERS ONLY. 



MM 



INTRODUCING 

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THE UNIVERSAL KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM 



KnowledgeMan/2 and MDBS are registered IflClbs 
trademarks of Micro Data Base Systems, Inc. — — 



Inquiry 235 



"»» 






I 




Vl^ 



The data yowii h 



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ATARI 520ST 



drives and the hard-disk drives we 
tested with the 520ST, The speed is 
a tribute to the efficiency of the DMA 
custom chip and the WD1772 floppy 
controller. I/O is quick (no endless 
waiting during disk reads), and, unlike 
the Macintosh, you can remove disks 
easily at the touch of a button on the 
drive. The standard system currently 
includes one single-sided double- 
density drive with a capacity of 360K 
bytes. For $299, you can obtain a 
double-sided drive that can store up 
to 72 OK bytes. Setting up the drives 
is slightly more unforgiving than daisy- 
chaining on Atari's 8-bit systems in 
that you must use the designated in 
and out I/O ports on the back of the 
drives. Still, adding the second drive 
is a distinct plus. With it, you can copy 
an entire disk (without the four swaps 
required if you don't have one) in 99 
seconds and copy a 32K-byte file in 
16 seconds. The disk-copy operation 
does not automatically format the 
disks, which requires an additional 54 
seconds for the single-sided disks. 

The disk format employed is very 
similar (down to the file-allocation 
tables) to that of the MS-DOS disks 
used on the Data General/One por- 
table computer. However, the formats 
are not absolutely identical. We took 
a disk from a DG/One that contained 
a text file and slipped it into the 
520ST disk drive. The GEM desktop 
on the 520ST recognized the disk and 
showed it contained a file, but the 
520ST wasn't able to open the file for 
printing or display. When questioned 
about this, Atari admitted that a utili- 
ty will probably be necessary to read 
the files. 

Floppy-Disk Controller 

Atari didn't design the floppy-disk 
controller. The design team chose a 
chip with a built-in data separator, a 
modified version of the 1770 chip 
from Western Digital. The old chip 
worked with 6-, 1 2-, 20-, and 30-milli- 
second drives. Atari asked Western 
Digital to change some of the drives 
that they support, and the new chip— 
the 1772-can work with 2-, 3-, 5-, and 
6-ms stepping speeds. Atari is using 

{continued) 
JANUARY t986 -BYTE 97 



ATARI 520ST 




Photo 6: The 520ST desktop in low resolution, showing the control panel and a 
customized background color. You can fix your choices by saving the desktop. 



3-ms drives. The chip uses the Sys- 
tem/34 format. There is some incom- 
patibility between the 1772 and the 
765 controllers (the chip used in the 
IBM PC), although the format is the 
same. 

The floppy interface will support a 
maximum of two daisy-chained 
floppy-disk drives. You send com- 
mands to the FDC (floppy-disk con- 
troller) by first writing to the DMA 
Mode Control register (to select the 
FDC internal command register) and 
then writing the desired 1-byte com- 
mand to the Disk Controller register. 
The floppy controller works through 
the DMA controller custom chip, just 
as all hard-disk transfers do. 

Hard Disk 

Although Atari hasn't yet released its 
planned 316-inch hard disk for the 
520ST system, the company let us 
play with a 10-megabyte prototype, 
which transfers data at 5 megabits per 
second, the standard ST506 rate. 
Later drives will feature 1 5 megabytes 
and 7.5 megabits per second. 

There is no hard-disk controller in- 
side the 520ST. But the DMA custom 
chip makes for easy, fast interfacing. 



The AH DC (Atari hard-disk controller) 
will be in the hard-disk-drive unit. The 
DMA controller sends commands to 
the hard disk using the ANSI X3T9.X 
SCSI (small computer systems inter- 
face)-like command descriptor block 
protocol. The AHDC supports a 
minimal subset of SCSI commands 
that are sent to the AHDC in much the 
same way that commands are sent to 
the FDC. Both floppy- and hard-disk 
formats contain 512-byte data sectors. 

Monitors 

We used both the monochrome 
SM124 and RGB SC1224 monitors 
with excellent results. The color moni- 
tor supports low and medium resolu- 
tion. You can use the monochrome 
monitor only for high resolution. All 
of the displays are clear, sharp, 
readable, and flicker-free, but we were 
particularly impressed by the clarity 
of the high-resolution monochrome. 
The monitor you connect when you 
boot will determine the resolutions 
you will have available; there is only 
one monitor port, and you cannot 
unplug one and connect the other, 
since they have no compatible resolu- 
tion. This may give some users a dif- 



ficult choice, since much of the early 
software will work with one monitor 
or another but not both. For the mo- 
ment, if you are interested in buying 
the 520ST for business or program- 
ming uses, you would be best served 
with the high-resolution monochrome 
system. Nonetheless, developers will 
undoubtedly make available resolu- 
tion-independent software, in part 
because the developer's kit includes 
an appropriate directive. 

TOS 

TOS (the 520ST's operating system), 
including the GEM overlay, was to be 
in ROM and obviously would boot 
very quickly. As of this writing, how- 
ever, it is in RAM where, in addition 
to taking up over 206K bytes of RAM, 
it requires 32 seconds to boot. Still, 
this leaves you with a reasonable 
amount of workspace until Atari 
releases the ROM version. In the 
meantime, 16K bytes of ROM (two 
64K-bit ROM chips) hold the boot-up 
code for the computer. Four empty 
sockets within the 520ST await the 
new ROM chips. 

The appearance of the desktop 
depends upon the monitor and the 
resolution (see photos 6 through 8). 
It has some unusual features and 
some annoyances, but for the most 
part, those familiar with the operation 
of the Macintosh will feel at home. 
The menu bar is at the top, you can 
use the mouse to resize and move 
windows and to work scroll bars and 
sliders, and you can click on file icons 
to format disks, to get directories, and 
to rename or get detailed information 
on files and folders. Like the Macin- 
tosh, you double-click on icons to 
open them, drag icons to copy files 
and disks, or use shift-clicks for multi- 
ple file copying. Undoubtedly the 
most impressive aspect of the inter- 
face is the speed with which you are 
able to resize and move windows. 

Those expecting a clone of the 
Macintosh interface, however, will be 
disappointed. And several of the dif- 
ferences are annoying. It takes slight- 
ly but noticeably longer to click on the 
boxes within the windows, and resiz- 
ing, though quicker, is somewhat 



98 BYTE • JANUARY 1986 



ATARI 520ST 



more awkward. For example, when 
you click on the Resize box, the new 
520ST window automatically reduces 
in size. On the Macintosh, it stays the 
same size until you decide to alter it. 

There are other important dif- 
ferences between the 520ST and 
Macintosh desktops. The trash can is 
actually an incinerator. Move a file or 
folder there and it's gone permanent- 
ly Unlike the Macintosh, whenever the 
pointer even touches the menu bar, 
you bring down the menus. To elimi- 
nate the menu, you have to bring the 
pointer off the menu and click the 
mouse button. It's amazing how often 
this happened to us by accident. The 
selection process would be much im- 
proved if only you had to press the 
button to select menus. Second, the 
520ST desktop seems to have parti- 
tions into which icons can fit. Unlike 
the Macintosh, in which you can place 
icons where you wish, the icons have 
a finite number of possible locations. 
Third, there is no option to move files, 
folders, and applications. The only 
available options are copy and delete. 
Therefore, to move an icon into a 
folder you will need to copy it there 
and then delete the original. And, to 
move a file out of a folder, matters are 
further complicated by the fact that 
the folder opens to take over the win- 
dow from which it derived. You would 
first have to move the file to a dif- 
ferent disk, delete the original file 
from the folder, then copy the file 
back to the original disk but not within 
the folder, and then delete the first 
copy you made. It sounds difficult 
because it is. 

From the current desktop, you have 
access to a VT-52 emulator, you can 
install your printer, you can configure 
the RS-232C port, and you can set any 
of several defaults on a control panel. 
For example, if you have the color 
system, you can alter the palette and 
thus affect, if you wish, the ap- 
pearance of the desktop and other 
applications. In low resolution, you 
can modify all 16 colors from the 
palette of 512; in medium resolution, 
you can modify up to 4. You can also 
set when and at what rate the keys will 
repeat with the keyboard response 




Photo 7: The 520ST desktop in medium resolution, \cons are the default, but you 
can easily set your preference to text. 




Photo 8: The 520ST desktop in high resolution. 



selectors, you can alter the double- and date, a small annoyance since the 

click response time, and you can ac- 520ST has no internal battery main- 

tivate or deactivate the keyboard click taining the clock. Most of the time, 

and the pleasant-sounding error warn- you will have to type in the entire date 

ing bell. However, there are few edit- and time string, 

ing amenities when resetting the time [continued) 



JANUARY 1986 -BYTE 99 



ATARI 520ST 



The RS2 32 Port Configuration win- 
dow lets you fix the data-transmission 
rate, XON/XOFE the parity, duplex, 
and the number of bits per character. 
The Install Printer window allows you 
to select between dot-matrix and 
daisy-wheel between black-and-white 
and color, between draft and final 
quality, and the number of pixels per 
line. A Set Preferences window allows 
you to set the screen resolution, 
though your choices here are ob- 
viously limited by your selection of 
monitor. You can also choose not to 
confirm deletes and copies. Once you 
have set all your preferences, you can 
save them by selecting the save desk- 
top option. The only absent option of 
importance is a command-line inter- 
face, which is available only with the 
520ST developer's package. 

Software 

The system comes bundled only with 
TOS and Atari Logo, and like other 
new systems, there is at present a 
dearth of software. Already, however, 
Atari has released NEO, a paint pro- 
gram, and ST Writer, a word pro- 
cessor, into the public domain, but 
both are surrogates until GEM Write 
and GEM Paint are available. 

Atari Logo is surprisingly powerful. 
It makes full use of the GEM environ- 
ment and, among many features, 
allows you to edit on the fly Atari will 
soon also bundle Atari BASIC with the 
machine. Our beta version is fast, full- 
featured, and also uses GEM, but it 
was constricted by a 32K-byte work- 
space. Undoubtedly, however, most 
users will be attracted by the avail- 
ability of serious development lan- 
guages, the absence of which held 
back software development on 
Apple's Macintosh for most of its first 
year. 

TDI Software Ltd. (29 Alma Vale Rd., 
Clifton, Bristol BS8 2HL, England) has 
released Modula-2/ST a 32-bit devel- 
opment system that includes an 
editor, compiler, linker, and library 
facilities. TDI's Modula-2 is a full im- 
plementation, has complete libraries 
for TOS, and provides full access to 
the 520ST's graphics features. TDI is 
also marketing a version of UCSD 



Pascal with the p-System, which, how- 
ever, does not include support for 
GEM. Both TDI products cost £195 
each. 

The Dragon Group (148 Poca Fork 
Rd., Elkview, WV 2 5071) has released 
4xFORTH, a series of 32-bit FORTH 
development systems for the 520ST 
The basic 4xFORTH system ($99.95) 
includes support for multitasking and 
multiuser access, a compiler, a full- 
screen editor, and support for 520ST 
graphics. For $149.95, 4xFORTH also 
provide a floating-point system and 
support for GEM calls. 

Atari has released its C develop- 
ment software. The $300 package in- 
cludes the entry points and C bind- 
ings to both TOS and to the operating 
system's text and graphics routines 
(such as text size, attributes, align- 
ment, and angle, as well as circle 
drawing, area fill, and bit-blitting). The 
documentation also provides the 
"Hitchhiker's Guide to the BIOS," in- 
formation on Kermit and MIDI, a C 
programmer's guide, and much more. 
Purchasers of Haba's Hippo-C, now 
available for the 520ST, should be 
warned that the Atari development 
documentation will still be essential 
reading. 

Several other companies are prom- 
ising interesting additions to the 
520ST language group. Metacomco 
(26 Portland Square, Bristol BS2 8RZ, 
England) will soon distribute ISO 
Pascal, a 68000 assembler, and Lat- 
tice C. Philon Inc. (641 Avenue of the 
Americas, New York, NY 1 001 1) is 
readying a BASIC compiler, a BASIC 
interpreter, and a C compiler. It is also 
working on compilers for FORTRAN, 
Pascal, and COBOL. 

System Documentation 

It is fortunate that the system is so 
easy to learn to use because the 
documentation is quite poor. The 80- 
page owner's manual has requisite 
sections on setting up the system, get- 
ting started, touring the GEM desktop, 
and managing disks, files and folders, 
but it has very little technical material. 
Materials with the disk drive and 
monitors are also sadly lacking. Un- 
doubtedly, users will have to wait for 



the trickle of technical references on 
working with the hardware. 

Conclusion 

Judging from the conversations 
around the office and on BIX (BYTE 
Information Exchange), CompuServe, 
and The Source, there is a storm of in- 
terest in comparing the relative capa- 
bilities of the 520ST, the Amiga, and 
the Macintosh. There is, in fact, far 
more interest than there seemed to be 
in comparing the merits of the 8-bit 
computers from Atari, Apple, and 
Commodore. An upcoming special 
edition of BYTE on the 68000 will 
make comparisons of processor and 
application speeds, ease of develop- 
ment and portability, and user inter- 
faces, but we are still left with our con- 
clusion that these are very different 
machines, with very different markets. 

The 520ST is an architecturally sim- 
ple 68000 computer with high-quality 
video output and a high-speed DMA 
port. The easiest way to summarize 
our first look at the hardware is that 
the 520ST presents the 68000 un- 
bounded. Not only does it offer an ex- 
cellent price/performance ratio, but 
we expect it to produce some im- 
pressive benchmarks on tasks with 
heavy computation. 

The 520ST's complete keyboard 
and impressive array of ports add up 
to an attractive system. Finally, the 
520ST's use of standards (for exam- 
ple, 68000, MIDI, Yamaha sound chip, 
and Western Digital FDC) should make 
it easier to program, expand, and 
manufacture. 

There are also the promised cheap, 
powerful peripherals: a 10-megabyte 
hard disk for $700, a W-gigabyte CD- 
ROM optical disk for around $500, 
and a 1200-bps modem for $150. 

The Atari 520ST is certainly an ex- 
cellent value. For the moment, there 
is not much application software and 
you still have to deal with an un- 
finished operating system; but with 
the current availability of several high- 
level languages, the 520ST will un- 
doubtedly provide many users with 
what they seek— a means to tap the 
power of the 68000 at a price they 
can afford. ■ 



100 BYTE • JANUARY 1986 



Directions 

for. 
converting 

aPC 
toanXI 



Insert 

tabA 
into 

slotR 



Plus«|"! Hardcard. 



X 




nn 




nr 



nnr 



First you have to remove Hardcard"* 
from its box. 

An operation that's about as simple 
as installing it in your PC* 

Using thumb and forefinger, lift the 
flap of the box. Now reach inside and 
grasp Hardcard. Slowly pull it out, making 
sure that your warranty information 
doesn't fall unnoticed to the floor. 

And that's it. You're over the hump. 

You've got 10 megabytes of hard 
disk storage in your hand. Everything— 
the drive, the controller, the electronics- 
is compressed onto a single card. 

Allow yourself a moment to marvel 
at its size and weight. Just over 2 lbs. 
Measuring only 13 x4 x 1 inches. With no 
connector cables. No additional power 
supply required. No adapter card to buy. 

Now slip it into a single expansion 
slot inside your PC and forget it. Odds 
are you'll never have to fuss with it again. 

Because it's so remarkably reliable. 
More than twice as reliable as the XTs 
built-in drive. Since Hardcard has fewer 
parts, there are fewer things that can 
go wrong. 

On top of that, Hardcard is even 
faster than the XT's drive. 

And it maintains PC compatibility 
with the most popular software programs. 
In fact, our special compatibility task 
force has spent many man-years making 
sure that Hardcard runs popular software 
trouble-free. 

Hardcard also lets you keep both 
your floppies up and running. Which is 1 
something no other add-in drive can do. 

All of which means that your PC 
can now be saved. 

And that friendly, intelligent little 
machine can have its useful life extended. 

You won't have to go to the expense 
of replacing it with an XT 



Or suffer the shortcomings of bulky, 
conventional hard disks. Which take 
hours or even days to install. 

And when it comes to installing 
DOS, Hardcard is just as easy. Its special 
installation program loads your oper- 
ating system and gets you ready to install 
your software in minutes. 

And Hardcard's Directory Program 
lets you access those programs at the 
touch of a key. 

Finally, since Hardcard is so much 
more reliable, we can give you a warranty 
that goes well beyond the usual 90 days. 

We give you a full year. 

Still, it's nice to know that if anything 
ever should go wrong, you can pick up 
a replacement Hardcard at your nearby 
authorized service center. 

Hardcard is available now at major 
retailers nationwide. For the name 
of the one nearest you, call Plus at (408) 
946-3700. Or write Plus Development 
Corporation, 1778 McCarthy Blvd., 
Milpitas,CA95035. 

And we'll give you all the directions 
you need to save your PC. 

*Hardcard is compatible with IBM PC. IBM PCXTCompaq Portable, Compaq Plus. 
AT&T PC 6300. 

Plus and Hardcard arc trademarks of Plus Development Corporation. IBM, IBM PC 
and iBM PC XT are trademarks of International Business Machines Corporation. 
Compaq Portable and Compaq Plus are trademarks of Compaq Computer Corp. 
AT&T PC 6300 is a registered trademark of AT&T Information Systems, Inc. 

Hardcard 

from Plus 

Inquiry 282 



,:,>-" : 



p\tfS % 




104 B YTE • JANUARY 1986 



PHOTOGRAPHED BY PAUL AVIS 



CIARCIAS CIRCUIT CELLAR 



BUILD AN 

ANALOG-TO-DIGITAL 

CONVERTER 



by Steve Ciarcia 



A \6-channel \2-bit 
high-speed A/D converter 




It is evident that many ap- 
plications for computer 
controls, including energy 
management, security, 
and environmental moni- 
toring, require measure- 
ment inputs and control 
outputs in quantities not easily expressed 
in the 0- and +5-volt TTL (transistor- 
transistor logic) levels present in your 
computer. 

An energy-management system, for exam- 
ple, may need to monitor a temperature 
range of to 100° C with a resolution of 
0.1 degree. The thermocouple sensing this 
temperature range might generate only 1 
or 2 millivolts per degree. A propor- 
tional-drive pump motor in the same system 
might require a 2.40-V set-point control in- 
put to produce the proper flow rate 
throughout the system. 

Continuous analog systems like these are 
in the real world, outside the binary logic-0 
and logic-1 domain of digital computers. For 
the computer to interact with the real world, 
we need some scheme for translating 
analog measurements to and from quan- 
tized binary equivalents. 

This is not the first time I have touched 
upon analog-to-digital and digital-to-analog 
conversion. I try to cover this topic every 
three or four years so that new readers can 
be brought up to speed on the basics. For 



the old-timers, however, 1 spice up the proj- 
ect with the latest whiz-bang conversion in- 
terface that can be cost-effectively 
produced. 

The previous projects have all used 8-bit 
converters. However, the overwhelming 
response to the BASIC-52 computer/con- 
troller (BCC-52) presented in the August 
1985 Circuit Cellar has created a demand 
for something more challenging. Thousands 
of BCC-52 industrial and end users are ap- 
plying computer control to applications that 
ultimately require greater accuracy of mea- 
surement. 

Presently, an 8-channel 8-bit A/D con- 
verter (10,000 samples per second, to 10 
V or -5 to + 5 V, P/N BCC-13) is available 
for the BCC-52, but many measurements re- 
quire more resolution. Therefore, it's time 
to dust off the old theoretical explanations 
and present an up-to-date, high-speed, high- 
resolution A/D interface for the BCC-52. 

First, because one is an integral compo- 
nent of the other, I'll outline the basics of 
D/A conversion and then go on to A/D con- 
version. After a few circuit examples, I'll get 

[continued) 

Steve Ciarcia (pronounced ,% see-ARE-see-ah") is an 
electronics engineer and computer consultant with ex- 
perience in process control digital design, nuclear in- 
strumentation, and product development. He is the 
author of several books about electronics. You can 
write to him at POB 582, Glastonbury, CT 06033. 



COPYRIGHT © 1986 STEVEN A. CIARCIA. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. 



JANUARY 1986 'BYTE 105 



CIRCUIT CELLAR 



into the heavy stuff. Ultimately, this 
month's project is the design of a 
16-channel (8-channel differential in- 
put) 12-bit plus sign bit, - 5 to + 5 V, 
10,000 samples/sec, BCC-52/Z8 bus- 
compatible A/D converter board. In a 
few months, after I have presented a 
few more essential peripheral devices, 
I will demonstrate the configuration 



and application of a full-fledged data- 
acquisition and control system based 
on the BCC-52. 

D/A Conversion 

The D/A converter can be thought of 
as a digitally controlled program- 
mable potentiometer that produces 
an analog output voltage. This output 





-JVNAr- 



/JT 



> 



BINARY "1"= SWITCH CLOSED 
BINARY "0"= SWITCH OPEN 



-O>v 



•I 



-ps 



REF " V REF " V REF 
+ 2R 4R + 



8R J Rf 



Figure 1 : A 4-bit weighted-resistor D/A converter. A 4-bit word is used to control four 
single-pole single-throw solid-state switches. Each switch is in series with a resistor. The 
resistor values are related as powers of 2. The other sides of the switches are connected 
together at the summing point of an op amp. Currents with magnitudes inversely 
proportional to the resistors are generated when the switches are closed. They are 
summed by the op amp and converted to a corresponding voltage. 




Figure 2: A 4-bit R-2R-type resistor-ladder D/A converter. The topology of this 
network is such that the current flowing into any branch of a three-branch node will 
divide itself equally through the two remaining branches. Because of this, the current 
will divide itself in half as it passes through each node on its way to the end of the 
ladder. 



voltage (V ) is the product of a digital 
signal D, a multiplier constant K 
(usually 1), and an analog reference 
voltage V re/ , related by the following 
equation: 

V =KDV re/ 

The binary value transmitted to the 
D/A converter by the computer is a 
binary fraction representing what por- 
tion of the full output voltage is 
emitted. The fraction is multiplied by 
a reference voltage, which can be 
either fixed or variable. D/A converters 
with variable reference voltages are 
often referred to as multiplying D/A 
converters, although all D/A con- 
verters can be said to multiply. 

In finite binary fractions, the most 
significant bit (MSB) has a value of 1/2 
(that is, 2" 1 ), the next most significant 
bit is 1/4 or 2~ 2 , and the least signifi- 
cant bit (LSB) is (1/2)" or 2"", where n 
is the number of bits in the binary 
fraction. If all the bits in the fraction 
are added, the sum approaches 1; the 
more bits in the fraction, the closer 
the sum is to 1. The difference be- 
tween 1 and the approach to 1 is the 
quantitation error of the digital sys- 
tem. I'll discuss this later. 

Different implementations of D/A 
and A/D converters use different for- 
mats for representing the binary 
digital quantities. One basic difference 
is how systems represent negative 
binary numbers and negative volt- 
ages; some can, and some can't. 
Analog interface systems that can 
manipulate positive and negative 
numbers and voltages are called 
bipolar converters; systems that can 
handle only positive voltages and 
quantities are called unipolar. 

Unipolar converters chiefly use 
straight binary and binary-coded- 
decimal (BCD) representations of 
digital quantities. Bipolar converters 
use a variety of representations, in- 
cluding offset binary, one's- and twos- 
complement formats, and Gray code. 
For brevity, I will limit this discussion 
to converters using straight-binary 
and offset-binary representations. 
Later, 1 will get into two's-complement 
representations since the converter 
chip used in this project represents 



106 BYTE ■ JANUARY 1986 



CIRCUIT CELLAR 



negative numbers in two's-comple- 
ment form. 

Offset binary differs from straight 
binary only slightly. In offset binary, 
a number consisting of all zeros rep- 
resents the most negative possible 
quantity. The most obvious conse- 
quence of this is that the MSB acts as 
a sign bit, for negative values and 
I for positive. For instance, in offset 
notation, the bit string 01000000 rep- 
resents -64, while the bit string 
11000000 stands for +64. 

Frequently, offset notation is re- 
ferred to as a resolution value plus 
sign bit, i.e., 1 2-bit plus sign converter. 
The sign bit, while performing as a 
thirteenth bit in bipolar operation, 
should not be confused with a 1 3-bit 
converter. The sign bit can be used to 
indicate only quantities above V (in 
this case, sign bit=0) or below V 
(sign bit= 1) and not shifted in scale. 
Between -5 V and +5 V on a 12-bit 
plus sign converter, there will be 8192 
divisions (13 bits). However, if the con- 
verter were to measure inputs only in 
the range of to 5 V, only 4096 divi- 
sions (12 bits) can be represented. In 
this project, the A/D is set for -5 to 
+ 5 V and is therefore indistinguish- 
able from a 13 -bit converter between 
these limits and would be 1 bit bet- 
ter than a straight 12-bit converter 
used to measure the same range. 

The translation of digital values to 
proportional analog values is per- 
formed by either of two basic De- 
conversion circuits: the weighted- 
resistor circuit or the R-2R circuit. The 
weighted-resistor converter is by far 
the simpler and more straightforward. 
This parallel decoder requires only 
one resistor per input bit. 

In the weighted-resistor D/A con- 
verter, solid-state switches are driven 
directly from the signals that repre- 
sent the digital number D. Individual 
currents with voltage magnitudes 
related by powers of 2 (magnitudes of 

1/2, 1/4, 1/8 2" n ) are generated 

and summed by connecting a network 
of resistors with values of R, 2R, 4R, 
. . ., 2"R between the reference 
voltage -V re/ and the summing point 
of an operational amplifier (op amp) 
by means of the set of electronic 



switches. After being summed, the 
various currents are converted to a 
voltage by the op amp, as shown in 
figure 1. 

While this may appear to be a sim- 
ple answer to an otherwise complex 
problem, this method has some sig- 
nificant drawbacks. The accuracy of 
this type of converter is a function of 
the combined accuracies of the 
resistors, switches (all switches have 
some resistance), and the op amp. In 
D/A-conversion systems of greater 
than 10 bits resolution, the values of 
the resistors become extremely large, 
and the resultant current flow is 
reduced to such a low value as to be 
lost in circuit noise. 

For example, in an 8-bit D/A con- 
verter with R (the value of the resistor 
for the MSB) set to 10 kilohms, the 
value of the resistor for the LSB turns 
out to be 1.28 megohms. With a ref- 
erence voltage of 10.00 V, only 7.8 
microamperes would flow into the op 
amp. This current is significantly 
below the response threshold of most 
low-cost op amps and would not be 



detected. Lowering the value of R to 
100 ohms creates the opposite prob- 
lem. At a reference voltage of 10.00 
V, the input current to the op amp 
would be 100 milliamperes, more 
than most op amps can handle. 

A reasonable alternative to the 
weighted-resistor D/A converter is the 
R-2R D/A converter, often referred to 
as a resistor-ladder converter. This 
type is more widely used, even 
though it uses more components than 
the weighted-resistor type. A simple 
R-2R design is shown in figure 2, in- 
cluding the reference voltage, a set of 
binary switches, and an output 
amplifier. The basis of this converter 
is a ladder network constructed with 
resistors of two values: R and 2R. 

In each bit position of the network, 
one resistor (2R) is in series with the 
bit switch, and the other (R) is in the 
summing line, so that the combina- 
tion forms a pi network. This suggests 
that the impedances of the three 
branches of any node are equal, and 
that a current i, flowing into a node 

[continued) 



+5-15V 



WRITE — 

ENABLE WR 



DATA BUS 



ADDRESS 




AD558 



GND 6ND 



m 



-OVourg 



-10V 
2.56V 



^^,0-lOV 



0-2. 56V 

RANGE SELECTOR 



*15-V0LT SUPPLY REQUIRED 
FOR 0-10V OUTPUT RANGE 



Figure 3: A block diagram outlining a typical connection of the AD 55 8 8-bit 
multiplying D/A converter. 



JANUARY 1986 • BYTE 107 



CIRCUIT CELLAR 



through one branch, flows out as ill 
through the other two branches. In 
other words, the current produced in 
the network by closing a bit switch is 
cut by half as it passes through each 
node on the way to the end of the lad- 
der. Simply stated, the position of a 
switch with respect to the point where 
the current is measured determines 
the binary significance of the par- 
ticular switch closure. 

The R-2R D/A converter is easy to 
manufacture because only two 
resistor values are needed. The com- 
ponent stock can be reduced to one 
resistor value if two are used in series 
for each bit. Keeping matched resistor 
values that have the same tempera- 
ture coefficients contributes to a 
stable design. Certain trade-offs are 
required between ladder resistance 
values and current flow to balance ac- 
curacy and noise. 

One form of the R-2R ladder circuit 
is found in the multiplying D/A con- 
verter. This type of converter, which 
utilizes external-variable analog refer- 
ence voltages, produces outputs that 



are directly proportional to the value 
of the digital input multiplied by this 
reference. Functionally this type of 
converter is available as current- or 
voltage-output types. The current- 
output devices are faster and less 
complex because they do not include 
additional output-amplifier stages. 
Therefore, they cost less than voltage 
types. 

An economical 8-bit multiplying D/A 
converter is the Analog Devices 
AD558. Shown in figure 3, it contains 
an 8-bit latch, R-2R ladder network, 
reference-voltage source, and output 
amplifier. TheAD558 can run on a + 5- 
to + 1 5-V power supply and can be 
jumper-selected for 0- to 2.56-V or 0- 
to + 10-V ranges. Using a separate op 
amp, you can configure an offset con- 
verter or modify the output of the 
range. 

The AD558 can be used as a trans- 
parent D/A converter by holding the 
chip-enable and chip-select lines con- 
stantly low. However, it was primarily 
designed to be bus-operated and ap- 
pear as a write-only location in mem- 



REFERENCE 



O 



DIGITAL- TO -ANALOG 
CONVERTER 



v .nE>- 



COMPARATOR 



CLOCK 



MSB 



MSB 



■o 

-O 

-o 



-o 



8-BIT 
> PARALLEL 
OUTPUT 



LSB 



D SUCCESSIVE- 

APPROXIMATION 
CK REGISTER 



START 
CONVERSION 



SERIAL 
OUTPUT 



Figure 4: A block diagram of a typical 8-bit successive-approximation A/D converter. 



ory or I/O (input/output) address 
space, lypical connections consist of 
a decoded address strobe, a write- 
enable signal, and the 8-bit data bus. 

A/D Converters 

Virtually all high-resolution A/D con- 
verters incorporate a D/A converter as 
an integral component. That is why, 
even though our ultimate aim is A/D, 
1 always discuss D/A converters first. 
Hopefully 1 have made you aware of 
the binary-conversion process, and 
you can appreciate the concepts of 
resolution and accuracy. 

An A/D converter changes an 
analog voltage into a digital represen- 
tation compatible with the computer's 
input needs. Akin to the 8-bit D/A con- 
verter, an A/D converter is subject to 
the same conversion rules. If you are 
trying to read a 10-V signal with an 
8-bit converter, resolution is 1/2 56 of 
10 V (approximately 40 mV), and ac- 
curacy will be ± 1/2 the LSB. 

For greater resolution, more conver- 
sion bits are necessary. The number 
of bits does not set the input-voltage 
range of a converter; it only deter- 
mines with what precision the output 
value is represented. An 8-bit con- 
verter (either A/D or D/A) can be set 
up just as easily to cover a range of 
to + 1 V as it can be to cover to 
+ 1000 V. Often, the same circuitry is 
used with only a final amplification 
stage or resistor-divider network 
changed. 

Note, however, that an 8-bit con- 
verter with a range of 1000 V has a 
resolution of only 4 V (1000/256), and 
it would be useless to measure 0- to 
10-V signals. You can solve this prob- 
lem in a number of ways. The easiest 
solution is to use a converter with 
more bits. A 16-bit converter, which 
has 65,536 steps instead of 2 56, 
would cover the same 1000-V range 
in 15-mV increments. 

As a practical matter, though, a rea- 
sonable price/performance ratio is 
often more important than wide- 
range capability. A/D conversion is 
considerably more expensive than 
D/A conversion, and price is directly 
related to resolution and accuracy. If 
you intend to read 0- to 5-V input 



108 BYTE • JANUARY 1986 



CIRCUIT CELLAR 



signals and you have to be accurate 
within only 3 5 mV, it hardly makes 
sense to use a 1000-V range 16-bit 
converter (probably costing $5000) 
when an 8-bit 0- to 5-V range unit 
($150) would more than suffice. 

The rule in choosing an A/D con- 
verter boils down to "be realistic." 
Assess the quality of the signal source 
(noise, rate of change of input, ground 
referenced or differential, etc.) when 
you choose your converter. Installing 
a converter with 1 -microvolt (/nV) res- 
olution to measure an input signal 
buried in 200 mV of noise is pointless. 

An A/D converter that scans therm- 
istor probes and controls the ambient 
temperature in a large supermarket 
cannot encode video information 
from an optical scanner. A/D con- 
verters, much more than D/A con- 
verters, are specifically tailored to an 
application. Speed, accuracy, and res- 
olution are variables in any converter 
design, but the blending of these 
choices can greatly affect the cost in 
A/D conversion. 

Most confusing is the variety of A/D- 
converter designs. They range from 
very slow, inexpensive techniques to 
ultrafast, expensive ones. You get 
what you pay for. The two fastest tech- 
niques are flash conversion and suc- 
cessive approximation. 

The flash converter is just that. It 
consists of a separate analog-input 
comparator for each incremental 
voltage it is to measure. An 8-bit flash 
A/D converter has 2 56 comparators 
with gating logic that outputs the 
binary code corresponding to the 
comparator triggered by the input 
voltage. Flash converters are very fast 
(I million-100 million samples/sec), 
but they are also very expensive. 

A somewhat slower (1000-1 million 
samples/sec) and more cost-effective 
alternative is the successive-approxi- 
mation converter. Shown in figure 4, 
this type— like the binary-ramp-type 
A/D converter— uses a D/A converter 
in the feedback loop to compare a 
calculated D/A voltage to the 
unknown input voltage. In this imple- 
mentation, the binary counters are 
replaced with a special successive- 
approximation register (SAR). 



Initially, the outputs of the SAR and 
the mutually connected D/A converter 
are at a zero level. After a start-con- 
version pulse is received, the SAR 



enables its bits one at a time starting 
with the MSB. As each bit is enabled, 
the comparator gives an output signi- 

[continued) 



CONNECTION DIAGRAM 
DUAL IN-LINE PACKAGE 



v- c 


1 * 




24 


^DIGITAL V C c 


V| N (-) C 2 




23 


ZIDB7/DB12-0 (STATUS WORD) 


V, N ( + ) C 3 




22 


ZJDB6/DB12-SARS 


ANALOG GND C 4 




21 


Zl DB5/DB12-0 


Vref C 5 
ANALOG V C c LZ 6 ADC1205 


20 
19 


DDB4/DB12-0 
ZJDB3/DB11-0 


Vos LZ 


7 




18 


DDB2/DB10-BYST 


CLK IN LZ 


8 




17 


ZJDB1/DB9-E0C 


WR LZ 


9 




16 


Z1DB0/DB8-INT 


cs LZ 


10 




15 


zi int 


RD C 


11 




14 


Zl READY OUT 


DIGITAL GND EI 


12 




13 


I] STATUS 




TOP 


VIEW 







FUNCTIONAL DIAGRAM 



r^-- 



v os? 



V IN (+) 



IN CS RD WR OUT STATUS V cc 

I 
I 



TTTT 



CONTROL 
AND 

TIMING 







SUCCESSIVE- 
APPROXIMATION 
REGISTER 




LADDER 

AND 

DECODER 



L_i. 



1 



BYTE 

SEQUENCER 

AND 

TRI-STATE 

OUTPUT 

LATCH 



2-BYTE 

ADC1205 

ONLY 



-J- 



Vref 



ANALOG 

vcc 



Figure 5: Pin-out and block diagram of National Semiconductor's ADC1205CCJ 
12-bit plus sign A/D converter chip. 



JANUARY 1986 • BYTE 109 



CIRCUIT CELLAR 



fying that the input signal is greater 
or less in amplitude than the output 
of the D/A converter. If the D/A out- 
put is greater than the input signal a 
is set as the value of the corre- 
sponding output bit. If the D/A output 
is less than the input signal the cir- 
cuit sets the corresponding bit to a 1 . 
The register successively moves to the 
next bit (retaining the settings on the 
previously tested bits) and performs 
the same test. After all the bits have 
been tested the conversion cycle is 
complete. An 8-bit successive-approx- 
imation A/D converter takes only 
eight clock cycles to complete a con- 
version. 

This one-to-one relationship be- 
tween conversion resolution and SAR 
clock counts is generally true only for 
discrete-component SAR-based A/Ds. 
In higher-resolution integrated-circuit 
A/D converters, the clock cycle/con- 
version bit times are less distinct due 
to extensive housekeeping circuitry. 
Like many microprocessors with high 
clock-crystal frequencies, the actual 
system clock is "much slower. 

THE ADC1205 

Figure 5 is the pin-out and block 
diagram of the National Semiconduc- 
tor ADCI205CCJ 12-bit plus sign A/D 
converter chip. It operates on a single 
+ 5-V logic supply and 5.000-V refer- 
ence input to provide a 12-bit conver- 



sion on 0- to 5-V inputs. With a 
1 .08-megahertz clock frequency, the 
ADCI 205 will do 10,000 conversions 
per second (108 microseconds per 
conversion). 

If an additional - 5- to - 1 5-V sup- 
ply is connected to V- (pin I), the 
ADCI 205 will convert - 5- to + 5-V in- 
puts using a thirteenth output bit. This 
MSB is the sign bit. It is a logic for 
positive values and logic I for nega- 
tive values. 

Figure 6 shows the output charac- 
teristics of the converter. For 0- to 5-V 
inputs (sign bit=0), the codes range 
from binary 0000000000000 to 
01 1 II II Mil II, respectively. In a 5-V 
range, each bit represents 0.0012 V, 
or 1.2 mV resolution! If the output 
of the converter were binary 
00000101 1 1 100 (hexadecimal 000BC), 
this would be (188)*(0.0012)=0.2256 
V Similarly, binary 01 10101 1 1 1000 
(hexadecimal 00D78) is +4.1376 V 

Negative inputs are represented in 
two's-complement binary. For 0- to 
-5-V inputs (sign bit=l), the codes 
range from binary II II II I II I II I to 
1 000000000000, respectively. The 
output code for negative values is 
represented as the magnitude of the 
difference from the unknown input to 
- 5 V and not its distance from zero. 
An output code of 1000010111100 
(I00BC) is -((5.00)-(188)*(0.0012)) = 
-4.7744 V Similarly, 1110101111000 



(4095)0,1111. 1111.1111-1- 

uo94)o. im.ini.mo__ 



(2)0.0000.0000.0010 
(1)0.0000.0000.0001 
(0)0.0000.0000.0000 



z? 



NEGATIVE 

FULL-SCALE 

TRANSITION 



.r 1 " 



POSITIVE 

FULL-SCALE 
TRANSITION 



t 

1LSB 



1,1111,1111.1)11 (-1) 
l.iin, mi, mo(-2) 



-1,0000.0000,0001 (-4095) 
- - 1,0000.0000.0000 (-4096 ) 



ANALOG INPUT VOLTAGE [v )N ( + pV, N ( _j] 



Figure 6: ADCI 205 output characteristics. 



(I0D78) is -((5.00)-(3448)*(0.0012))= 
-0.8624 V. 

Under computer control, the con- 
version is relatively easy. At each 
reading, determine the absolute value 
of the 12-bit number by multiplying 
it by 0.0012 V. If the sign bit is a 0, 
add a plus sign to your calculation, 
and you have a positive output of that 
magnitude. If, on the other hand, the 
sign bit is a I , subtract that value from 
5.0 V and append a minus sign. You 
can see that watching the sign bit is 
important, and this is not as simple 
as offset binary. 

One further consideration before 
presenting the entire schematic is the 
concept of single-ended and differen- 
tial inputs. There is a significant dif- 
ference between them. Most low-cost 
multichannel A/D converters have 
single-ended inputs. 

All converters have a V.--+ and a V ( „_ 
input. In a single-ended A/D con- 
verter, the V;__ line is connected to 
ground. Therefore, all measurements 
are referenced to a common ground. 
Even if an 8-channel multiplexer 
switches inputs to the V in+ line, all 
readings are referenced to a single 
ground, and voltages from two dif- 
ferent systems cannot be monitored 
simultaneously unless their grounds 
are connected. This is often not the 
case, and conditions called ground 
loops result. Many of you no doubt 
remember "smoking" an early-genera- 
tion oscilloscope by accidentally view- 
ing the hot side of the AC line while 
referenced through the line cord to 
the other side (even today I still use 
an isolation transformer on my 
scopes). 

Another consideration is trying to 
measure voltages that are not neces- 
sarily relative to ground. Perhaps 
resistor R, c in figure 7 is a thermistor, 
and we wish to read the voltage drop 
across it to determine temperature. A 
single-ended A/D converter could not 
be connected directly across R, c if 
both the circuit and the A/D converter 
have the same ground without short- 
ing out one of the resistors. To read 
the thermistor, you would have to 
separately read the voltages at points 
B and C and subtract them. Further- 



no B YTE • JANUARY 1986 



CIRCUIT CELLAR 



more, unless you manually move the 
probes, the only way to do it is to in- 
crease the number of channels on the 
A/D converter. Hence, the prolifera- 
tion of multichannel single-ended A/D 
converters. 

Unfortunately, measurements refer- 
enced to ground often contain noise 
and power fluctuations from other 
components in the circuit. It is far bet- 
ter in some applications to simply 
measure the voltage between two 
points in a circuit irrespective of 
ground. Such a measurement is 
termed "differential." For lack of a bet- 
ter example, think of this as the two 
probes on a digital voltmeter (DVM). 
If the meter is battery-operated, it is 
completely isolated from ground, and 
the two probes measure absolute 
potential between them. Only when 
the V ln - probe is physically connected 
to the circuit ground are the readings 
then single-ended and ground-refer- 
enced. 

The ADCI205, while being powered 
from ground-referenced power sup- 
plies, has analog input lines that are 
isolated from ground. These two lines 
are like the two probes on the DVM. 
In a multichannel single-ended A/D 
converter, only the V jn+ line is multi- 
plexed. The V ln _ line is attached to 
ground. In a differential-input multi- 
channel A/D converter, both the V ; „ + 
and V /n . lines are multiplexed, and 
neither is tied to ground. To read 
across R, c , the V in+ line is attached to 
point B, and the V in _ line is connected 
to point C (in industry parlance, V ln+ 
is V ln High and V ln _ is V /n Low). 

The ADCI205 is a 12-bit converter 
designed to attach directly to an 8-bit 
microcomputer bus. The system com- 
municates with the chip as memory- 
mapped I/O through the CS (chip- 
select bar) and RD (read bar) WR 
(write bar) signals. An additional 
STATUS (status bar) line is used as a 
signal to start conversion or check 
conversion progress. 

The 1 2 bits and sign are read as 2 
successive bytes. Data is right-justified 
with the most significant byte 
presented first (the 4 MSBs of the first 
byte all have the value of the sign bit). 
A second read to the chip automati- 



cally presents the least significant 
byte. The three possible interactions 
are given in table 1. 

Communicating with this chip may 
look complicated, but it is much less 
so than you might think, especially if 
you are operating the converter in 
BASIC. I will demonstrate it shortly. 

The BCO30 16-Channel A/D 
Converter Board 

When you invent things, you get to 
name them. I called the BASIC-52 
board the BCC-52. Since this A/D con- 
verter board is BCC-bus-compatible, 



I've decided to call it the BCC-30 
(other more appropriate numbers are 
unfortunately taken). See photo 1. The 
schematic of the BCC-30 is shown in 
figure 8. 

The configuration of the BCC-30 is 
as a bus-compatible peripheral device 
to the BCC-52 and the BCC-11 Z8- 
based computer/controller rede- 
signed from the original presentation 
in July 1981. See photo 2. Both units 
and a number of expansion boards 
I've designed over the years share a 
common 44-pin bus sometimes called 

[continued) 



+4V 



SINGLE-ENDED 
INPUT 



V| N HIGH} 



V| N + 
V| N - 
AGND 



A/D 



| R tc 
< 2K 



DIFFERENTIAL 
INPUT 



IK 



v, N high) 

V lN LOW>— 


V IN + 

A/D 
V|N" 

AGND 


JT~ 



Figure 7: Comparison of single-ended versus differential input connections. 



l&ble 1: The three possible interacti 


ons with the AG 205 A/D converter chip. 
Function 


CS RD WR STATUS 


11 


Reset data-byte counter and start 




conversion. 


1 1 


Read data. First byte is sign and 4 




MSBs; second byte is 8 LSBs. 


1 


Read status word. 


Status-word format: 


Bit — High indicates conversion 




complete and data ready. 




Bit 1 — High indicates conversion 




complete. 




Bit 2 — High indicates next byte is 




8 LSBs. Low indicates next 




byte is sign and 4 MSBs. 




Bit 6 — High indicates conversion 




still in progress. 



JANUARY 1986 • BYTE 111 



CIRCUIT CELLAR 





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Figure 8: Schematic diagram of the BCC-30 \6-channel A/D converter board. 



112 B YTE • JANUARY 1986 



CIRCUIT CELLAR 



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IANUARY 1986 • BYTE 113 



CIRCUIT CELLAR 




Photo I: Prototype of the Circuit Cellar 16-channel \2-bit plus sign A/D converter 
board. 




Photo 2: The BCC-30 A/D board is bus-compatible with the BCC-52 controller 
board. The BCC-30 A/D prototype and BCC-52 are shown plugged into a backplane 
for use together. 



the "Z8 Bus" but more properly called 
the MMZ8 bus. Nothing is unique 
about the signals on this bus except 
perhaps their pin designations. It is a 
multiplexed address/data/control bus 
primarily oriented to 8-bit computers 
(16-bit address and 8-bit data). 

The BCC-30 A/D board looks to the 
computer as a single address at any 
one of 128 predefined (jumper- 
selectable) locations. It can be con- 
figured either as 16 independent 
single-ended-input channels or 8 
differential-input channels. Single- 
ended or differential operation is 
determined by the placement of 
jumpers (PI-4 and is therefore not 
under program control. The data byte 
sent by the computer to the board ad- 
dress defines which channel the input 
multiplexer is set for. 

ICs 2, 3, 4, and 5 decode A8-AI4 
address bits to produce CS for the 
ADCI205 chip and latch data directed 
through buffer IC7 into the multi- 
plexer address latch (IC6). The jumper 
positions selected in the schematic 
locate this address at B800 hexadec- 
imal (47104 decimal). The 4 LSBs of 
this register control the input multi- 
plexer w hile the fifth bit (b4) sets the 
STATUS level control line to the 
ADC1205. 

Running the A/D board in BASIC is 
straightforward and consists of four 
sequential operations: set multiplexer 
address and reset A/D, start conver- 
sion, read most significant byte, and 
read least significant byte. While the 
status of the A/D is available as an 
output, a conversion takes only 100 
microseconds and therefore could 
never be seen in BASIC (reading the 
status will be necessary if you are tak- 
ing 10,000 samples/sec in an assem- 
bly-language program, however). It is 
simple enough to start the conversion 
and then go back immediately and 
read it since it will always be com- 
pleted. 

Executing an XBY(47104) = 18 in 
BASIC will load hexadecimal 12 into 
the address latch (the XBYQ com- 
mand in BASIC-52 is like PEEK and 
POKE in other BASICs). This cor- 
responds to a multiplexer address of 
2 and a status bit set to a logic I 



114 BYTE • JANUARY 1986 



CIRCUIT CELLAR 



(reset). Resetting the status bit starts 
the conversion with an XBY(47104) = 
2. The 2 bytes are then read as A1 = 
XBY(47104):A2 = XBY(47104). The 
most significant byte/least significant 
byte counter automatically incre- 
ments on the successive reads. Sum- 
marizing, to read channel #2 (board 
address B800 hexadecimal), we ex- 
ecute code as outlined in figure 9. 

AI and A2 can then be combined 
to produce the desired output. I refer 
you to listing 1 for that procedure. 

As mentioned earlier, four jumpers 
(IP 1-4) decide whether the function of 
the A/D is 16-channel single-ended or 
8-channel differential. All four 
jumpers are moved together, and all 
must occupy either the single-ended 
or differential jumper positions 
together. Each MUX08 (IC9 and 10) 
multiplexer is an 8-channel JFET-type 
analog switch. While CMOS (comple- 
mentary metal-oxide semiconductor) 
switches might function in the circuit 
(and be about a tenth the cost), their 
I/O-transfer characteristics are not 
adequate for a 12-bit converter. The 
variations in resistance with input 
signal level would surface as measure- 
ment errors and instability. JFET multi- 
plexers are specifically designed for 
this application and have very flat 
response curves. 

Four bits from the multiplexer ad- 
dress latch (IC6) are directed through 
the jumpers to the multiplexer control 
lines. In the single-ended position, V,-„_ 
of the ADCI205 is physically 
grounded, and the two MUX08s se- 
quentially address 16 input signals 
through it to the V tn+ . When they are 
in the differential position, however, 
address line D is disabled, V 4 -„_ is 
removed from ground, and both W in+ 
and W in - are switched through the in- 
put multiplexers. A differential input 
on channel #2, for example, would 
have V,„ high on IC9 pin 6 and V«„ low 
on ICIO pin 6 (setting channel #10 
when using differential mode will 
enable channel #2 instead). 

The remaining areas worth com- 
menting about are the reference 
voltage and input protection. For a 
12-bit A/D to be worth anything, it 
must have a precise, stable reference 



voltage for its internal D/A. In the 
BCC-30, the 5-V reference is supplied 
from an LM3 36-5 voltage reference 
chip. Additional diodes and a trim pot 
allow it to be precisely set at 5.000 V 
with virtually no temperature drift. 
Only a positive reference is required, 
even though the converter measures 
negative voltages as well. 

The only "gotcha" in using the 
ADC 1 205 is input protection. While it 
measures +/- 5-V inputs, levels above 
or below +/- 5.3 V may damage the 
device. One method of protecting the 
inputs is through clamping diodes 
and current-limiting resistors. Using 



these techniques, I have connected 
V in+ and V,-„_ to a voltage source that 
will shunt damaging inputs away 
before they exceed 5.3 V. Unfor- 
tunately, if these diodes are con- 
nected to +/- 5 V, they will not begin 
conducting until +5.6 V and -5.6 V, 
respectively (germanium diodes with 
similar speed and power capabilities 
are much more expensive). I have 
chosen the least painful alternative by 
providing +/- 4.7-V Zener-generated 
sources to the clamping diodes that 
will start conducting at 5.3 V. 
Presently, only a 100-ohm series 

{continued) 



BASIC Command 

XBY(47104) = 18 

XBY(47104) = 2 

A1=XBY(47104) 
A2 = XBY(47104) 



Function 

Set multiplexer channel #2 and set status 
line high to reset A/D converter. 

Retain multiplexer channel setting and set 
status line low to start conversion. 

Read first (most significant) byte. 

Read second (least significant) byte. 



Figure 9: Series of BASIC-52 statements used to read channel #2 of the BCC-30. 



Listing 1 
BCC-30. 



A sample BASIC-52 program to read and display channels 0-7 on the 



10 CLEAR 

20 REM READ AND DISPLAY A/D CHANNEL 0-7 

30 REM SINGLE-ENDED OR DIFFERENTIAL 

40 REM -5- TO + 5-VOLT INPUT 

50 REM 

60 REM 

70 N = 47104 : REM BOARD ADDRESS 

80 REM STATUS BIT IS B5 - LOGIC 1 IS RESET 

90 FOR A = TO 7 : REM DO ALL CHANNELS 0-7 

100 GOSUB160:REM READ A CHANNEL 

110 NEXT A: REM NEXT CHANNEL 

120 PRINT CHR(18),CHR(27),"Y" : REM TERMITE - HOME AND CLEAR SCREEN 

130 REM DISPLAY ARRAY HOLDING CHANNEL 0-7 READINGS 

140 PRINT USING (#.###) 1 A(0),A(1) 1 A(2) 1 A(3) 1 A(4),A(5) 1 A(6) 1 A(7) I "VOLTS" 

150 GOTO 20 : REM DO IT ALL AGAIN 

160 XBY (N)=A+16 : REM RESET A/D AND SET MULTIPLEXER CHANNEL 

170 XBY(N)=A:REM CLEAR STATUS BIT TO READ DATA 

1 80 D1 = XBY(N) : D2 = XBY(N) : REM READ 1 2 BITS AS TWO SUCCESSIVE WORDS 

190 R = 0.0012207 : REM VOLTS PER COUNT 

200 IF D1 > =240 THEN GOTO 230 

210 A(A) = R*((D1*256) + D2) : REM SAVE POSITIVE READING IN ARRAY 

220 RETURN 

230 D1 =255-D1 : D2 = 255-D2 : REM ADJUST D1 & D2 FOR 

TWO'S COMPLEMENT 

240 A(A)= -1*R*((D1*256) + D2) : REM SAVE NEGATIVE READING IN ARRAY 

250 RETURN 



JANUARY 1986 -BYTE 115 



Inquiry 73 



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DP-9001B 


829 


LDM 720 Limited 




DP-95001A 


929 


Distance Modem 


410 


DP-95001B 


865 


DCX 815 Stat Multi- 




DP-9625B 


1029 


plex or 4-Port 
DCX 815 Stat 


960 


DATASOUTH 




Multiplex or 8-Port 


1400 


PP1-80 col. PC 




TA208 A/B 4800 bps 




Parallel 595 


385 


Modem Dial-Lease 




PP2-157 Col. PC 




Line 


1400 


Parallel 845 


475 


R96FP 9600 bps 




DIABLO 




Modem Fast-Poll 


1375 


630 API (Letter 




R96 9600 bps Modem 


1250 


Quality) 2095 


1395 


R212A Intelligent 




630 API/ECS/EXS 2295 


1595 


Modem 300/1200 bps 


350 


D25 25 CPS 




R212 Executive 212 


420 


IBM PC 745 


535 


R208 4800 bps dial up 


900 


P101 80 CPS 80 




R1224 300/1200/2400 




COL Dot Matrix 499 


355 


bps v.22 bis. 


550 


P12CQ1 150 CPS 




DCX 812 4 Port Multi- 




80 COL Dot 




plexor 


1030 


Matrix 699 


495 


ARK/PARADYNE 




Call for pricing on 


All Models 


call 


accessor/es and other 


PRENTICE 




available printers 




Multiplexors 

Bell 202T Compatible 


call 


CANON 




Modem 


315 


-*— LASER PRINTER -*— 


Bell 212A Compatible 




LBP-8A1 Laser 




P212 SA Stand Alone 395 


Beam 3495 


2595 


P212 RM Rack Mount 


315 


Canon BJ 80 Bubble 




212 TCM SA Stored 




Jet Printer 599 


449 


Directory 
212 TCM RM Rack 
Mount 


635 
555 


Call ior other available 

Canon printers and 

accessories. 


P212 ST Auto 








Dial/Auto Answer 


275 






TRIMODEM 








Stand Alone 


750 


SYSTEMS AND 




TRIMODEM 




TERMINALS 




Rack Mount 
V.22 0-300/600/1200 
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690 
635 


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ergonomic design. 




Stand Alone 


555 


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Price 


BELL 201C Compatible 




WYSE 50 $ 595 


S 410 


P 201C SA Stand 




WYSE 50+ 695 


525 


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595 


WYSE 75 795 


539 


P 201C RM Rack 




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575 


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COLOR 1195 


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P 208 A/B Stand alone 


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P 208 A/B Rack mount 1035 


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Price 






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(Green mono- 




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chrome) 230 
WYSE 600 


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TELEVIDEO 




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PC's and Display Terminals 


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TERMINALS S 735 


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650 
995 

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TERMINAL 499 
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Conditioners Call for specs 


catalogue 

J 



CIRCUIT CELLAR 



resistor is used in each input line to 
dissipate any input overvoltage. The 
ADC 1 205 converter has about a 50- 
kilohm input impedance so this extra 
resistance is unnoticeable. The series 
resistance can be increased further for 
more protection, but the temperature 
drift of this resistor adds errors to the 
system. The quantity of error depends 
upon the signal source impedance. 

Frankly speaking, I would much 
rather have added a clamped-output 
op-amp stage, but it would have been 
very expensive. Remember, we are 
talking about l-mV signals and 20 
parts per million maximum permissi- 
ble temperature drift. It hardly makes 
sense to add an op amp with a 30-mV 
offset and 200 ppm temperature drift 
combined with piles of who-knows- 
what discrete components moving in 
all different directions. Low-drift, low- 
offset, high-speed op-amp circuits are 
expensive. 

It would be easy for me to simply 
provide an untried schematic of a 
typical protection circuit, but, as a 
practical matter, a properly designed 
and tested circuit with no offset or 
drift would have been a bigger proj- 
ect than the whole A/D board. I sug- 
gest that you simply try to limit your 
input range to + 5 to - 5 V. Half-watt 
100-ohm series resistors will protect 
the inputs up to +/- 12 V. 

While faster diodes might eventually 
be required in the clamping circuits 
shown, they are reasonably priced 
and adequate protection for normal 
use. No one wants to pay what it 
would take to guard against all pos- 
sible circumstances. Only an idiot 
would try to measure the voltage 
across the tips of an arc welder with 
this board. 

Conclusion 

The price/performance of A/D con- 
verters is a balance of speed and res- 
olution. There are $200 4-bit 100 
million samples/sec A/D chips and 
$9.95 12-bit 2 samples/sec units (I 
won't bother to tell you how much 1 2 
bits at 100 million samples/sec would 
cost). In environmental systems that 
have slowly varying conditions, speed 
is not as important as accuracy. Room 



temperature, for example, doesn't 
change so fast that you need to sam- 
ple it 500 times a second. The ac- 
celerometers on a shake table, how- 
ever, may need to be sampled 20,000 
times a second for accurate G-force 
event records. 

The BCC-30 has more than enough 
performance for most data-acquisi- 
tion situations and will be finding a 
home in industrial control applica- 
tions along with the BCC-52. 

Circuit Cellar Feedback 

This month's feedback is on page 403. 

Next Month 

I'll build a multichannel audio/video 
multiplexer. ■ 

The following items are available from 

The Micromint Inc. 

2 5 Terrace Dr. 

Vernon, CT 06066 

(800) 63 5-3 355 for orders 

(203) 871-6170 for information 

1. BCC-30. 12-bit plus sign, 10,000 samples/ 
sec, input range: - 5 to + 5 V, 16-channel A/D 
converter board. 

assembled and tested BCC-30. $197 

2. BCC-13. 8-bit. 12.000 samples/sec, input 
ranges: to 10 V or -5 to +5 V. 8-channel 
A/D converter board. 

assembled and tested BCC-13. $140 

3. BCC-99 manual set. Includes all user's 
manuals and schematics for BCC-52, BCC-1 1, 
and BCC-2 1 computer/controllers and all cur- 
rently available expansion boards, including 
serial, parallel I/O. AC/DC power I/O. and 
those listed above. Shipping weight 5 lbs. 

BCC-99, $29.95 

All the units above are bus-compatible with 
the BCC-52, BCC-11, and BCC-21 computer/ 
controllers. All units come complete with 
user's manual. 

Please include $4 for shipping and handling 
in the continental United States, $10 else- 
where. Connecticut residents please include 
7. 5 percent sales tax. 

Editor's Note: Steve often refers to previous 
Circuit Cellar articles. Most of these past ar- 
ticles are available in book form from BYTE 
Books, McGraw-Hill Book Company. POB 
400, Hightstown. NJ 082 50. 

Qarcia's Circuit Cellar. Volume 1 covers articles 
in BYTE from September 1977 through 
November 1978. Volume II covers December 
1978 through June 1980. Volume III covers July 
1980 through December 1981. Volume IV 
covers January 1982 through June 1983. 



116 BYTE • JANUARY 1986 



XEROX 



Xerox 
is about 
to move 
xerography 

light years 
ahead 




The Xerox 
4045 Laser CP 

A desktop 
laser printer 

that's also 
a copier. 






XEROX 





TeamXerox 



About twenty-five years ago something 
happened that changed the world of 
information forever. 

Xerox introduced the first plain paper 
copier, an achievement that brou ght 
xerography into almost 
every office. 

Since then, for more than 
a decade, Xerox has been 
applying the power of laser technology 
in high speed computer printing systems. 
Systems that produce superb documents 
of unsurpassed quality. Quickly, quietly 
and cost effectively. 

Now, through this process which 
we've named Lasography, Xerox has 
come up with a revolutionary product 
that lets smaller offices and work groups 
enjoy these benefits, too. 

Introducing the Xerox 4045 Laser 
Copier Printer. 

It's the desktop copier/laser printer 

XEROX® and the number names are trademarks of XEROX CORPORATION. 

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON XEROX LASOGRAPHIC PRINTERS, 
CIRCLE 390 ON THE READER SERVICE CARD. 



with a totally unique dual personality. 

For one thing, it's a sophisticated laser 
printer. It can print up to ten pages a 
minute. Which is ten times faster than 
standard office printers. 

And while other desktop 
printers serve primarily one 
workstation at a time, 
the Xerox 4045 Laser CP is 
designed to accommodate four. 

All at the same time. 

Not only that, but with the Laser CP's 
graphics capabilities you can merge all 
the forms, logos, texts and signatures you 
want printed and produce documents 
that anyone would be proud of. 

But as we said before, the Laser CP 
has a dual personality. It doubles as a high 
quality convenience copier. 

The Xerox 4045 Laser CP is only 
one example of what Lasography has to 
offer your office, remote or distributed 



data processing environments. 

Because Xerox is already planning 
ways to apply Lasography toward an even 
wider selection of products. 

All of which will put your office exactly 
where it belongs. 

Light years ahead. 

Call 1-800-TEAM-XRX, ext 179 for 
information and product demonstration. 



Please send me more information on Xerox Lasography. 

D The 4045 Laser CP 

□ The complete line of Lasographic printers. 

Send this coupon to: 

Xerox Corporation, PO. Box 24, Rochester, NY 14692 



NAME 


TITLE 


COMPANY 


ADDRESS 


CITY 



STATE ZIP PHONE 

If you can't wait, call: 

1-800-TEAM-XRX, ext. 179 

(1-800-832-6979, ext. 179) 



JANUARY I986 • BYTE 119 



PRODUCT PREVIEW 



Q&A 



Integrated software 
with macros 
and an 
Intelligent Assistant 



Editor's note: The following is a BYTE prod- 
uct preview. \t is not a review. We provide 
an advance look at this new product because 
we feel it is significant. A complete review will 
follow in a subsequent issue. 

Qr R is a new product from 
am. Symantec (see "In Brief" 
on page 122) that integrates word pro- 
cessing and file management with a 
full macro facility and an effective 
natural-language interface, your "In- 
telligent Assistant." The database and 
word-processing modules include 
data merge, comprehensive report 
capabilities, and context-sensitive 
help, but it is the Assistant that 
distinguishes the software. With it, you 
have the option of addressing the 
database intuitively and quickly by 
entering ordinary English phrases and 
sentences. You can carry on a conver- 
sation about the data in your data- 
base, to find forms, to ask questions 
of the database, to view or print 
reports, to run predefined reports, to 
perform calculations on the data, or 
to change the information in the data- 
base. And with macros, you can 
speed requests by defining keys as 
commonly used words and phrases. 
You can thus bypass the more formal 
searching, reporting, and updating 
procedures in most database applica- 



tions and in QS-A's own database 
module. 

Your Intelligent Assistant 

The Assistant has a built-in vocabulary 
of over 400 words (see table I for a 
partial list), and it automatically learns 
field names and the contents of the 
database. If you desire, you can also 
train your Assistant to comprehend 
your parlance in eight quick lessons. 
By so doing, you can increase the 
number of words that the Assistant 
understands and provide for much 
more personalized sessions. 

From the Assistant's main menu 
(see photo I) you can get acquainted 
with your new helper through a series 
of short help screens (and you can 
rename it to your liking— I chose the 
name Duncan), you can elect to train 
or retrain the assistant, or you can ask 
it to do something. 

A Sample Session 

Let's follow a session with the sample 
database, Realty, which contains ad- 
dresses and descriptions of 47 bed- 
and-breakfast units in the United 
States. The fields include owner's 
name, address, number of beds, 
number of baths, rent, amenities, 
type, and commission. 

After loading in the database, the 
Assistant asks you to type your re- 
quest in English (see photo 2). 

Me: Where can I get a room? 
Duncan: Shall I do the following? 
Create a report showing the address, 
city, state, zip, and bed from all the 
forms? 

The bottom of the screen presents my 
options. For example, you can dump 
the output to the screen or to a 



printer, edit individual forms, or focus 
the search further. Let's try something 
a bit more practical. 

Me: Are there any units for rent with 
more than 1 bed and a pool? 

After 10 seconds on an IBM AT with 
Duncan highlighting its progress 
through the sentence, it responds: 

Duncan: Shall I do the following? 
Create a report showing the monthly 
rent and the address and the city 
from the forms on which the bed > 1 
and the amenities include "pool" 
sorted by monthly rent? 

I'm not sure why it sorted by rent, 
but I got the information I requested. 
The report included 17 units sorted 
from the highest to the lowest rent. 
Finally, I tried another approach. 

Me: Show me the forms for the units 
with between 2 and 5 baths. 
Duncan (7 seconds later): Shall I: 
Select and view the forms on which 
the bath is > = 2 and < = 5? 

It's hard not to be impressed. The 
Assistant answers many "Are 
there. . ." questions with "Yes, press 
return to see the forms," and "How 
many. . ." questions with a numeric 
answer. You can perform calculations, 
ask follow-up questions, ask to see 
specific forms, ask date-related ques- 



120 BYTE • JANUARY 1986 



by Jon R. Edwards 



tions ("Who was hired after June I, 
1985?"), and sort. With a larger data- 
base, you might want to find the aver- 
age number of beds in Boston, sort 
the cost of condominiums with two 
beds and a bath, or view the list of 
owners with last names beginning 
with "D." 

And you can also use the Assistant 
to create or delete forms. For exam- 
ple, you could type "Fill in a new form 
with 5 Main Street in the address 
field" or "Delete all forms with no ad- 
dresses" and the Assistant will com- 



ply. To modify a form, try "Change 
Paul John's street address to 5 Main 
Street," or "Increase all rents by $5" 
Clearly the possibilities are limitless, 
but I did have some problems. The 
Assistant tended to be a bit unforgiv- 
ing with my typographical errors. It 
does permit you to edit or define 
words that it does not understand, but 
it does not have a built-in spelling 
checker to offer possible interpreta- 
tions of your entry. Moreover, after 
you have corrected your error, it 
begins its interpretation of your re- 



quest at the beginning, not where it 
encountered the problem. And if you 
are well accustomed to databases, 
you may long for faster access to the 
data. The File module, which I de- 
scribe in detail later, permits more 
conventional inquiries. Although I 
found that by truncating my requests 
("3 beds" or "sort beds by state") and 
by using abbreviations that the Assis- 

[continued) 
}on R. Edwards is a BYTE technical editor. 
He can be contacted at POB 372, Hancock, 
NH 03449. 



Display 


Calculate 


Search/Sort 


Edit 


Adjective 


Comparative 


Superlative 


display 


add 


alphabetical 


blank 


big 


above 


biggest 


find 


difference 


containing 


enter 


low 


larger 


least 


get 


divide 


descending 


erase 


many 


less 


littlest 


list 


average 


and 


change 


few 


below 


bottom 


make 


bottom 


ascending 


create 


great 


bigger 


fewest 


print 


count 


before 


define 


high 


greater 


greatest 


report 


half 


early 


expunge 


much 


littler 


lowest 


run 


cut 


begin 


delete 


large 


fewer 


highest 


search 


increase 


excluding 


new 


small 


lower 


maximum 


show 


decrease 


between 


empty 


little 


higher 


largest 


table 


maximum 


fewer 


remove 




more 


minimum 




mean 


find 


replace 




over 


most 




minimum 


first 


set 




smaller 


smallest 




multiply 


get 






under 


top 




percent 


greater 












plus 


higher 












product 


including 












quotient 


increasing 












raise 


last 












ratio 


late 












remainder 


least 












subtract 


lower 












sum 


not 












total 


or 












twice 


order 

recent 

reverse 

search 

start 

through 

top 

under 




'^i^'r&doVs ' : -.f:^r 







Table 1: A list of some of Q&As built-in vocabulary sorted into categories. 



JANUARY 1986 'BYTE 121 



Q&A 



tant understands ("WNIC" for "with 
no identification columns"), I got 
reports and got to the data quickly. 

Teaching Your Assistant 

One other problem was easy to solve. 
I asked about "radar ranges," but dis- 

IN BRIEF 



covered that Duncan only understood 
"microwaves," the precise entry in the 
amenities field. Immediately, however, 
Duncan gave me an opportunity to 
look at all the words in its dictionary 
and to define the new word as a 
synonym for the term it knew. You can 



Name 

Q&A 

Type 

Integrated software, including word processor, database manager, report generator, 
and a natural-language query system. Works with single flat data files. 

Manufacturer 

Symantec Corporation 
10201 Torre Ave 
Cupertino, CA 95014 
(408) 253-9600 




Format 

Three 5 1 /4-inch floppy disks 



Computers 

IBM PC, XT, AT, or compatibles with a minimum of 512K bytes of RAM and two 
disk drives. A hard disk is preferred. 




Photo I: The Q&A main menu. 



just as easily delete a synonym from 
the list. Alternatively you can tell the 
Assistant to "Define 'radar range' as 
microwave" or try more complex 
synonyms like "Define 'home' as 'ad- 
dress, city, state.'" One of the nicest 
features is using synonyms to define 
reports. For example, if you enter 
"Define 'bedsort' to be 'address, state, 
zip code, and rent, sorted by bed,'" 
you could later enter "bedsort in 
Massachusetts." 

Formal schooling for your Assistant 
is only slightly more involved, but by 
conducting the lessons, you can per- 
sonalize your relationship with the 
Assistant (see photo 3). The eight 
lessons involve teaching the Assistant 
about the database. You can identify 
units of measure, words that general- 
ly describe the purpose and nature of 
the database, words that are general- 
ly synonymous with each field name, 
and fields that hold locations, names, 
or values. You can also specify the 
default columns that you want dis- 
played in every report. 

TWo lessons are more advanced. 
One teaches adjectives to the Assis- 
tant. For example, you could define 
"young" as a low age. or "rich" as a 
high income. In each case, the adjec- 
tives would apply to a specific field, 
allowing the Assistant to make judg- 
ments like younger ("Who is younger 
than lackson?"), youngest, richer, and 
richest. The final lesson allows you to 
associate verbs with particular fields. 
For example, by associating "earn" 
with a salary field, you could ask the 
Assistant "Who earns more than 
$30,000?" The Assistant has provision 
for learning irregular verbs. 

Integrated Modules 

Q&A contains four other integrated 
modules, Write, File, Report, and Util- 
ities. You select the module you want 
from Q&A's main menu. All of the 
modules use the screen format and 
menu structure of pfs:File. 

Write provides a comfortable word- 
processing environment as well as 
"merge printing." From the main Write 
menu, you can define a new or edit 
an existing document; set page di- 

[continued) 



122 B YTE • JANUARY 1986 




WlTHTHi 



i 



;^'M, 



r 




W j 



ACTUALLY ALLOWS YOUR AT TO RUN UP TO 30% FASTER 



The memory in your IBM PC-AT, as 
well as the AST Advantage!™, Tecmar 
MaestroTM, and other AT memory boards 
require three clock intervals per memory 
cycle to perform the same operation that 
the Cheetah Card™ can accomplish in 
only two! 

Other memory boards must wait one 
full clock interval because their memory 
is too slow — one-third of the time is lost! 

The Cheetah Card™ runs "NO WAIT 
STATE." Programs running in our memory 
run much faster. Up to a full 30% faster. 
(It's not possible to achieve a full one-third 
gain because of I/O operations, etc.) 



Cheetah International, Inc. 

107 Community Boulevard, Suite 5 
Longview, Texas 75606 USA 



You purchased an AT for speed. Do 
you really want to install a memory board 
that makes the AT run slow? Of course 
not! 

For the first time, you now have a 
clear choice. You can choose a product 
that costs more, runs slower, and comes 
with less guarantee. 

Or you can choose the 2.5MB Cheetah 
Card™ that allows the AT to perform up 
to 30% faster, comes with a full 3-year 
limited warranty, and retails for less than 
our competition ! 



2.5AAB Cheetah Card™ 
TriComPlus™ 



$945 
$195 



Now that you have a new stopwatch 
— go by your local computer store and 
time the new Cheetah Card™. And while 
you are there — take a look at our ver- 
satile 3 serial, 1 parallel TriComPlus™ I/O 
board. 

If your local dealer does not yet have 
the Cheetah Card™, then we will ship UPS 
PREPAID — direct to you. Purchase either 
the Cheetah Card™ or the TriComPlus™ 
and test them for up to 30 days! If you are 
not 100% satisfied, simply return ship 
C.O.D. for same day full refund ! 



CALL TODAY 

1-800-CHEETAH 

(1-800-243-3824) 



TELEX: 510-600-4578 CHEETAH 



TEXAS: 1-214-757-3001 



AST AdvantagelTM is a registered trademark of AST Research Inc. Tecmar MaestroTM is a registered trademark of Tecmar, Inc. 

Inquiry 58 



JANUARY 1986 -BYTE 123 



Q&A 



mensions, margins, and type size; 
clear a document from memory; print 
the document; or use three DOS func- 
tions (copy delete, and rename). Write 
saves text in ASCII; therefore, you 
could, if you desire, use your favorite 
editor and only then make use of 



Q&A's merge capabilities. Nonethe- 
less, Write is full-featured. In addition 
to most conventional features, like a 
range of block moves, headers and 
footers, integrating ASCII text within 
existing documents, and adequate 
printer support, Write includes on- 




Photo 2: Using the Intelligent Assistant. 




Photo 3: The third lesson for the Assistant. 



screen page breaks, macros, word 
counts, context-sensitive help, a limit 
of approximately 30 pages of text per 
document, and line and box drawing. 
You can also customize commands in 
a default file. You can save a per- 
sonalized default file in different direc- 
tories for different kinds of docu- 
ments. Windowing, footnoting, and 
columnar commands are the only 
conspicuous features that are missing. 

Write does not work directly with 
the Intelligent Assistant, but you can 
use the merge capabilities to insert 
Q&A data into Write documents. You 
need only place *field name* within 
the text to access the data, and there 
are a variety of text-formatting com- 
mands to smooth the printing of 
merged documents. To print the docu- 
ment, you select Print at the main 
Write menu. You can then select 
among several options, including the 
selection of the database to be used, 
the number of pages and copies, line 
spacing, and justification. 

You can use File, a full-featured 
database, to build single flat files for 
use with the Intelligent Assistant or to 
search for and retrieve data directly. 
From the main File menu, you can 
design (or redesign) the database, add 
data, search, update, mass-update, 
copy, delete, and print. Forms can be 
up to 10 screen pages long; each 
screen page contains 2 1 lines, or three 
screen pages per 8/2- by 11 -inch 
sheet. You can have up to 1980 char- 
acters per field, 2400 fields per 
record, and up to 16 million records 
per file. Each field can be up to one 
screen in length. You can sort (ascend- 
ing and descending) on up to 2 5 fields 
and index on up to 120 fields. Field 
types include text, number, money, 
keyword, date, hours, and yes/no. 

File's procedures are more conven- 
tional and formal than the Intelligent 
Assistant's, but for data entry and 
some reports, you will undoubtedly 
prefer its options. Within File, you can 
add punctuation and symbols, you 
can perform date and time arithmetic, 
and you can include programming 
statements (including IF. . THEN, 
IF. . THEN . . . ELSE, AND, OR, NOT, 

[continued) 



124 B YTE • JANUARY 1986 



Inquiry 250 — ► 



HOW TO GET 
OVER $2000 WORTH OF NEW 
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Inquiry 25 



base managers. File allows you to 
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Q&A, which is written in C and ma- 

{continued) 

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inquiry 74 



JANUARY I986 -BYTE 129 




130 BYTE • JANUARY 1986 



ILLUSTRATED BY JOHN S. DYKES 



PROGRAMMING PROJECT 



A SIMPL COMPILER 

PART 2: PROCEDURES 

AND FUNCTIONS 



by Jonathan Amsterdam 



Procedures and functions are a boon for programmers, 
but they're tricky to compile 




LBI 



Last month, I described 
the construction of a 
compiler for the high- 
level language SIMPL, 
but I omitted any de- 
scription of the part of 
the compiler that han- 
dles procedures and functions. This month, 
I'll fill that gap. 

The SIMPL compiler I wrote translates 
SIMPL, a Pascal-like language, into VM2 
assembly language. VM2 is a hypothetical 
computer that I wrote a simulator for in 
"Building a Computer in Software" (October 
1985 BYTE, page 112). I described an as- 
sembler for VM2 in my November 1985 ar- 
ticle (page 112). The routines— my collective 
term for procedures and functions— of 
SIMPL are similar to those of Pascal, except 
that a value is returned from a function 
using a RETURN statement rather than by 
assignment to the function name. The syn- 
tax of routines is presented in figure 1 , and 
a SIMPL program using a function can be 
found in listing la. 

The Challenge of Routines 

What makes compiling routines so difficult? 
Listing I shows a SIMPL program that 
calculates the factorial of a number, using 
a function called fact. The factorial of a non- 
negative integer n is n*(n- 1)*(n- 2)* . . . * 
1 . The fact function is recursive; it says that 



the factorial of n is equal to n times the fac- 
torial of n- 1 and that the factorial of is 
defined to be I . To see what has to be done 
to compile this program, first consider what 
the run-time behavior of the program ought 
to be. The following four things have to be 
done when calling fact. 

1. When the statement WRITE(fact(n)) is ex- 
ecuted, control has to transfer to the code 
constituting fact. 

2. The argument n has to be passed to the 
function. Somehow, the actual parameter, 
the value of n in the call to fact, must be 
connected (or bound) to the formal param- 
eter, n, that appears in the function 
definition. 

3. It is necessary that fact return to the 
proper place in the main program and that 
its result be made available. A function call 
should act as if it were replaced by its result 
in the program text. If the call to fact pro- 
duced the result 6, the program should 
behave as if the call to fact were simply 
replaced by the number 6, yielding the 
statement WRITE(6). 

4. Storage has to be found for fact's local 
variable, temp. 

[continued) 
\onathan Amsterdam is a graduate student at the 
Massachusetts Institute of Technology Artificial In- 
telligence Laboratory. He can be reached at 1643 
Cambridge St. #3 4, Cambridge, MA 02138. 



JANUARY 1986 -BYTE 131 



PROGRAMMING PROJECT 



To handle the control transfer, a sim- 
ple BRANCH instruction will suffice. 
If we provide fact with a return 
address— the memory address of the 
instruction just after the call— fact will 
know where to branch to when it's 
finished. That takes care of transfer- 
ring control. 

How about storage allocation? One 
solution, often used in FORTRAN 
compilers, is to allocate enough space 
with each procedure or function to 



hold that routine's arguments and 
locals, plus an additional word of 
storage for the result of a function. In 
this case, three words would be 
allocated: one for the argument n, 
one for temp, and one for fact's return 
value. The compiler would assign 
these memory locations while compil- 
ing fact; it would remember them in 
the symbol table and use them to 
generate references to the argument, 
local, and return value. 



routine :: = proc | tunc 

proc :: = PROCEDURE id {formals} ; {vars} <routine> block; 

tunc :: = FUNCTION id {formats} : type ; {vars} <routine> block; 

formals ::=( <decl ;> decl) 



Figure I : The syntax of SIMPL routines. A block is a list of statements surrounded 
by BEGIN and END; a dec\ is a variable declaration: and vars indicate the keyword 
VAR followed by one or more dec\s. Curly braces around an item indicate that the 
item is optional. Angle brackets indicate zero or more repetitions of the item are 
permitted. 



Listing I: (a) A SIMPL program 
\or calculating the factorial of a 
number, (b) VM2 assembler code 
generated by the compiler from (a). 



PROGRAM factorial; 
VAR n:INTEGER; 

FUNCTION fact(n:INTEGER);INTEGER; 

VARtemp:INTEGER; 

BEGIN 

IF n = THEN 
RETURN 1; 
ELSE 

temp := fact(n- 1); 
RETURN n*temp; 
END; 
END; 

BEGIN 

READ(n); 

WRITE(fact(n)); 
END. 



(b) 






BRANCH factorial 




n: 






fact: 






SETSP 


1 




PUSHL 


0, 3 


; n 


PUSHC 







EQUAL 






BREQL 


L1 




PUSHC 


1 




FRETURN 


1 




BRANCH 


L2 




L1: 






PUSHL 


0, 3 


; n 


PUSHC 


1 




SUB 






CALL 


fact, 1 




POPL 


0, -1 


; temp 


PUSHL 


0, 3 


; n 


PUSHL 


0, -1 


; temp 


MUL 






FRETURN 


1 




L2: 






PUSHC 







FRETURN 


1 




factorial: 






RDINT 






POPC 


n 




PUSH 


n 




CALL 


fact, 




WRINT 






HALT 







This design is simple and elegant. 
Unfortunately, it does not handle 
recursion. Because this scheme 
assigns a fixed amount of memory to 
each routine, it implicitly assumes that 
a routine can use only one set of 
arguments and locals at a time. Each 
time a routine is called recursively, a 
new invocation is set up using the 
same code but different values for the 
arguments and locals. In the simple 
scheme above, the values of the first 
invocation of a recursive routine will 
be overwritten by the values of the 
second invocation. 

It is necessary to allocate new mem- 
ory locations each time a recursive 
routine is called. But it's impossible 
for the compiler to predict the 
amount of storage a recursive routine 
might need, because the compiler 
can't determine how many recursive 
calls of a given routine would occur 
when the program is run. Therefore, 
this storage allocation must take place 
at run time, not compile time. You 
need to decide at compile time how 
to reference the arguments and locals 
of the routine and compile the refer- 
ences into the code for the routine. 
How can this be done? 

Activation Records 

The solution to this problem involves 
a data structure called an activation 
record, which is a contiguous region 
of memory that contains all the vari- 
able information needed for a rou- 
tine's invocation. It holds the argu- 
ments, locals, and a space for the 
return value for functions. It also holds 
the return address and some pointers 
to other activation records I'll 
describe later. All the activation 
records for a given procedure have 
the same format, but their contents 
differ from invocation to invocation. 
The run-time behavior of a program 
with routines is as follows: Each time 
a routine is called, storage for a new 
activation record is allocated. After 
the activation record is allocated, it is 
filled with the values of the arguments 
passed by the call and with the return 
address. Control then transfers to the 
called routine. When the routine 

{continued) 



132 BYTE • JANUARY 1986 



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Resellers: Call Sperry at 1-800- 547-8362,ext. 125 to carry the complete PC-to-mainframe line. 



JANUARY 1986 -BYTE 133 



PROGRAMMING PROJECT 



Listing 2: (a) A SIMPL program 
illustrating nested routines, 
(b) VM2 assembler code generated 
by the compiler from (a). 



(a) 

PROGRAM P; 
VAR a, b:lNTEGER; 

PROCEDURE Q; 
VAR b, c:INTEGER; 

PROCEDURE R; 
VAR b, cUNTEGER; 

BEGIN { R } 
b := 3; 
d :« 3; 

WRITE('\n7R7:7 \a,b,c,d); 
IF c > 1 THEN 
c := c-1; 
R; 
END; 
END; 



BEGIN { Q } 

b ;= 2; 

c := 2; 

R; 

WRITE('\n\ 
END; 

BEGIN {P} 

a :«= 1; 
b := 1; 
Q; 



',' \a,b,c); 



WRITE('\n 


.'P',':',' 


'.a.b.'Xn'); 


END. 






(b) 






BRANCH 


P 




a: 






b; 






RO; 






SETSP 


2 




PUSHC 


3 




POPL 


0,-2 


; b 


PUSHC 


3 




POPL 


0, -1 


; d 


PUSHC 






WRCHAR 






PUSHC 


'R 




WRCHAR 






PUSHC 


■■ 




WRCHAR 






PUSHC 


1 




WRCHAR 






PUSH 


a 





WRINT 






PUSHL 


0,-2 


; b 


WRINT 






PUSHL 


1, -1 


; c 


WRINT 






PUSHL 


0, -1 


; d 


WRINT 






PUSHL 


1, -1 


; c 


PUSHC 


1 




GREATER 






BREQL 


L1 




PUSHL 


1, -1 


; c 


PUSHC 


1 




SUB 






POPL 


1, -1 


; c 


CALL 


RO, 1 




L1: 






RETURN 







Q: 






SETSP 


2 




PUSHC 


2 




POPL 


0, -2 


; b 


PUSHC 


2 




POPL 


0, -1 


; c 


CALL 


R0, 




PUSHC 


1 




WRCHAR 






PUSHC 


•Q 




WRCHAR 






PUSHC 


*< 




WRCHAR 






PUSHC 


1 




WRCHAR 






PUSH 


a 




WRINT 






PUSHL 


0,-2 


; b 


WRINT 






PUSHL 


0, -1 


; c 


WRINT 






RETURN 







P: 






PUSHC 


1 




POPC 


a 




PUSHC 


1 




POPC 


b 




CALL 


Q, 




PUSHC 






WRCHAR 






PUSHC 


P 




WRCHAR 






PUSHC 


*■ 




WRCHAR 






PUSHC 


1 




WRCHAR 






PUSH 


a 




WRINT 






PUSH 


b 




WRINT 






PUSHC 


* 




WRCHAR 






HALT 







returns, the storage for the activation 
record is deallocated. 

How are references to arguments 
and locals handled? Instead of wiring 
an absolute address into the routine's 
code, the compiler generates an off- 
set from the current activation record. 
The offset is added to the address of 
the current activation record to get 
the address of the variable being ref- 
erenced. Since all activation records 
for a given routine have the same for- 
mat, a given offset will pick out the 
same variable regardless of the in- 
vocation. 

The current activation record is ref- 
erenced with a new register I have 
added to the VM2 machine. This reg- 
ister is called the frame pointer (FP). 
The FP always points to the current 
activation record. Each time a routine 
is called, VM2 needs to save the cur- 
rent value of the FP and set the FP to 
point to the new activation record. It 
is convenient to save the old FP in the 
new activation record. When the rou- 
tine returns, VM2 sets the FP back to 
the old value. These manipulations 
ensure that the FP always points to 
the activation record of the routine 
currently being executed. 

A new activation record must be 
allocated on each call of a routine, 
and it should be freed when the 
routine returns, otherwise all the 
machine's memory would eventually 
be consumed. Activation records can 
be allocated on a stack— the same 
stack VM2 uses for almost everything 
else it does— and can be freed by sim- 
ply popping the stack. In fact, another 
name for an activation record is a 
stack frame, from which the name 
"frame pointer" comes. You may re- 
call from my discussion of stacks in 
"Building a Computer in Software" 
that pushing and popping involve lit- 
tle more than incrementing and de- 
crementing the stack pointer. You 
could hardly hope for a more simple 
and efficient storage-allocation 
scheme. 

Nested Routines 

The scheme for compiling routines as 
outlined so far does not handle 

{continued) 



134 BYTE • JANUARY 1986 



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PROGRAMMING PROJECT 



SIMPCs feature of nested routines. 
Ihke a look at the S1MPL program in 
listing 2a, which makes use of nested 
routines. It illustrates how you can 
place the definitions of other routines 
between the local-variable declara- 
tions and the body of a routine, just 
as you can place routines between the 
global-variable declarations and the 
main program body. Nesting affects 
the scope or visibility of identifiers, 
that is, which identifiers— variables 
and routine names— are available to 
different parts of the program. Let us 
define the lexical level of a point in 
the program as its depth of nesting. 
In listing 2a, global variables are 



declared at lexical level 0, variables 
local to procedure Q are at lexical 
level I, and variables local to pro- 
cedure R are at lexical level 2. Then, 
the rules governing scope in SIMPL 
are easily stated: A routine has avail- 
able to it all identifiers declared in the 
routines that enclose it and none of 
the identifiers declared in routines 
nested within it. Furthermore, if two 
identifiers have the same name, the 
one at the highest lexical level is the 
one that is visible to a routine. 

Running the program in listing 2a 
results in the following output: 

R: 1323 













5 


LOCAL m 




1 : } 


i 






FP 


LOCAL 1 


LOW MEMORY 






RETURN ADDRESS 




>...; 


* 1 




DIRECTION OF 
STACK GROWTH 






STATIC POINTER 




1 


OLD FP 


ARGUMENT n 


HIGH MEMORY 


: . 


ARGUMENT I 















Figure 2 : The structure of an activation record for a routine with n arguments and m 
local variables. 









ACTIVATION 
RECORD 
FOR R 

ACTIVATION 
RECORD 
FOR R 

ACTIVATION 
RECORD 
FOR 






f? 




LOW MEMORY 


SP 


OLD FP 










i 


DIRECTION OF 
STACK GROWTH 


SP 


OLD FP 


"% 






HIGH MEMORY 













Figure 3: The structure of the stack when Q calls R and then R calls itself showing 
the static (SP) and dynamic (FP) pointers. 



R: 1313 
Q: 121 
P: 11 

Procedure R, being the innermost 
procedure, can access the global 
variable a; the variable c, which is 
local to procedure Q: and its own 
local variables b and d. R can also call 
both itself and the procedure in which 
it is nested, Q (R does not call Q in 
this example). Q cannot access any of 
R's variables, but it can access a and 
its own locals, and it can call R. The 
main program can access only global 
variables and can call Q. The variable 
b provides an example of how 
variables with the same name hide, or 
shadow, one another. Each of the 
three occurrences of b in the program 
refers to a different variable. The ap- 
pearances of b within R and Q refer 
to local variables of those procedures 
and have the values 3 and 2, respec- 
tively The occurrence of b in the main 
program refers to the global variable 
b, and its value is 1. 

R's access to c causes a problem for 
the routine-calling scheme I outlined 
above. If c were a global variable, it 
would be accessible directly by name; 
if it were local to R, it could be found 
at some fixed offset from the FP. But 
c is neither local to R nor globally visi- 
ble from P. I have not indicated how 
such nonglobal noniocal variables can 
be accessed. 

Before I proceed to the solution, 
note that at the time it is accessed by 
R, the variable c must be residing 
somewhere on the stack because, by 
the visibility rules discussed above, Q 
has to be called before R can be; it 
is only from within the definition of 
Q that R is visible at all. 

You may recall that the activation 
record for R contains the value of the 
FP for R's caller. In this case, R's caller 
is Q, so the old FP is a pointer into 
Q's activation record. It would seem 
you need only follow the old FP to get 
to nonlocal nonglobal variables. 

This will not work, however, because 
other routines besides Q can call R; 
in particular, R can call itself. In this 
case, the old FP for the second in- 
vocation of R points to the activation 



136 BYTE • JANUARY 1986 



PROGRAMMING PROJECT 



record for the first invocation of R, not 
to Q's activation record, so following 
the old FP would not get us to Q, but 
merely to another copy of R. We 
would need to follow the chain of 
frame pointers back twice to get to Q. 

Static Pointers 

In essence, the problem with follow- 
ing the FPs to find nonlocal nonglobal 
variables is this: The saved FPs in- 
dicate the dynamic structure of the 
program, its run-time behavior: who 
calls whom. To find variables, the so- 
called static structure is needed: who's 
defined inside whom. 

The solution I have adopted is to 
maintain a static pointer (SP) in each 
activation record in addition to the 
value of the caller's FP (sometimes 
called the dynamic pointer). The SP 
always points back to the most recent 
activation record of the routine in 
which the current routine was de- 
fined; for instance, the SP in R's ac- 
tivation record always points to an ac- 
tivation record for Q, regardless of 
who called R. The activation-record 
format for a routine with n arguments 
and m local variables is shown in 
figure 2. Figure 3 illustrates the struc- 
ture of the stack when static and 
dynamic pointers are used. Note that 
it is sometimes necessary to follow 
several static pointers to get to the 
desired variable. For example, if a pro- 
cedure S were defined inside R and 
accessed the variable c, the SP in S's 
activation record would be followed, 
leading to an activation record for R; 
then, R's SP would be followed, 
leading to the desired activation 
record for Q. The number of static 
pointers to follow is the difference in 
lexical levels between the point of call 
and the callee. 

Calling Mechanism in Action 

Now that all the pieces of the routine- 
calling scheme have been described, 
let's put them into place by seeing 
what happens when the program in 
listing 2 is executed. You may want 
to glance at figure 4 during this 
discussion. 

The main program begins by calling 
Q. First, the current value of the FP 



is pushed, followed by the SP, and the 
FP is set to the current value of the 
stack pointer. Since Q is called from 
the main program, it is not necessary 
to save the FP on the stack or to com- 
pute the SP, but 1 do it anyway since 
it's easier to implement this calling 
mechanism if a call from the main 
program isn't treated as a special 
case. Next, the return address, which 
can be calculated from the value of 
the program counter at the time of 
the call, is pushed onto the stack, and 
the computer branches to the begin- 
ning of Q (see figure 4a). 

Q begins by pushing two zeros 
onto the stack. This serves to allocate 



a word on the stack for each of Q's 
local variables and at the same time 
to initialize those variables to 0. The 
body of Q begins execution by setting 
its local variables, b and c, to 2. Then, 
R is called by the same mechanism 
as before: First, the FP is pushed onto 
the stack, the SP is computed by fol- 
lowing the chain of static pointers as 
many times as the difference in lex- 
ical levels between the point of call 
and R, and the value of the FP for the 
activation record at that place in the 
stack is pushed. Since the definition 
of R is at the same lexical level as the 
body of Q, no static pointers need be 

{continued) 





FP 


i „ 


(a 










1 






RETURN ADDRESS FOR Q 


LOW MtMUKY 






DIRECTION OF 
STACK GROWTH 

HIGH MEMORY 


. 


SP FOR Q 




* 


i 
i J 






OLD FP FOR Q 




(b 






f 


RETURN ADDRESS FOR R 


~) 


SP FOR R 


OLD FP FOR R 


Q'S LOCAL VARIABLE c 




F P 


Q'S LOCAL VARIABLE b 




. 


RETURN ADDRESS FOR Q 




\ 

j 






SP FOR Q 




OLD FP FOR Q 


(c) 






? 


RETURN ADDRESS FOR R 


-x 


SP FOR R 


OLD FP FOR R 


R'S LOCAL VARIABLE d 




FP 


R'S LOCAL VARIABLE b 


V 








RETURN ADDRESS FOR R 




i 


SP FOR R 








OLD FP FOR R 


Q'S LOCAL VARIABLE c 




Q'S LOCAL VARIABLE b 


RETURN ADDRESS FOR Q 


SP FOR Q 


OLD FP FOR Q 

















Figure 4: The run-time behavior of the program in listing 2. See the text for details. 



JANUARY 1986 



;YTE 137 



PROGRAMMING PROJECT 



followed, and the FP value for Q is 
pushed as the SP for R's activation 
record. FP is then set to the stack 
pointer, the return address is pushed, 
and control transfers to procedure R 
(see figure 4b). 

After pushing and initializing its 
local variables, R executes its WRITE 
statement, then tests the value of Q's 
local variable c. Since Q set c to 2, 
the statements within the IF statement 
are executed. First, c is decremented, 
then R is called recursively. To begin 
the recursive call on R, the FP is again 
pushed onto the stack and the new 
SP calculated. Now, since this activa- 
tion record for R is one lexical level 
deeper than R's definition, a single SP 
is followed; this leads back to Q's ac- 
tivation record, so the FP value for Q 
is again used as the SP for this second 
invocation of R. Note that although 
the activation record for each invoca- 
tion of R has a different value for the 



old FP, they have the same value for 
the SP. Next, the FP is set to the cur- 
rent value of the stack pointer, the 
return address is pushed, and control 
transfers to the body of R for the sec- 
ond time (see figure 4c). 

In the second invocation of R, R's 
local variables are pushed onto the 
stack and then the WRITE statement 
is again executed. R tests c, but this 
time it is not greater than 1, so the 
code within the IF statement isn't ex- 
ecuted. The return process is the in- 
verse of the call: The stack pointer is 
set back to where it was before the 
call, and the FP is restored to its old 
value. At this point, the stack again 
looks as it does in figure 4b. 

Now that the second invocation of 
R has returned, the first invocation 
can also return. (The stack now ap- 
pears as in figure 4a.) Then, Q ex- 
ecutes its WRITE statement and 
returns, and finally the main program 



Listing 3: The Modula-2 source code for the SIMPL CALL statement. 

(* CALL takes two arguments, the address to branch to and the difference 
in lexical levels. It does the following things: 

1. Pushes the current FP 

2. Computes and pushes the SP 

3. Pushes the return address 

4. Branches to the address. *) 
PROCEDURE call; 

BEGIN 

pushWord(framePtr); (* save current FP *) 

(* use the difference in lexical levels (2nd arg) to set the SP *) 

pushWord(followSP(CARDIN AL(memory[programCtr + 1 ]))); 

framePtr := stackPtr; (* FP will point to return address *) 

pushWord(programCtr + 2); (* return address *) 

branch; 
END call; 

(* Follows the static-pointer chain. *) 
PROCEDURE followSP(num:CARDINAL):address; 
VAR fp.address; 

n:CARDINAL; 
BEGIN 

fp : = framePtr; 

FOR n : = 1 TO num DO 

fp : = address(memory[fp + SPoffset]); 

END; 

RETURN fp; 
END followSP; 

PROCEDURE branch; 
BEGIN 

programCtr : = address(memory[programCtr]); 
END branch; 



does a WRITE and the program ends. 
What I've just described differs in 
two minor ways from the scheme as 
I originally presented it. First, al- 
though for reasons of conceptual 
simplicity I described the activation 
record as being allocated all at once, 
it in fact is allocated piecemeal, a 
push at a time: the arguments (al- 
though in this example there were 
none), the FP, the SP, and the return 
address. Second, it's somewhat more 
convenient for my purposes to have 
the FP point to the middle of the ac- 
tivation record instead of to the begin- 
ning. This means that some offsets 
from the FP will be negative and 
others positive. 

Some New Instructions 

A compiled program's code would be 
long and messy indeed if it had to 
worry about every manipulation of 
static pointers and activation records. 
Instead, I'm going to push all this 
complexity down into the virtual 
machine, VM2, and hide it behind five 
new VM2 instructions. 

The first and most complicated is 
CALL, which takes two arguments: 
the memory address of the beginning 
of the routine's code and the dif- 
ference in lexical levels between the 
caller and callee. It performs all the 
operations necessary when one rou- 
tine calls another: saving the return 
address and FP on the stack, setting 
the SP, setting the FP register, and 
branching to the routine. Because 
CALL is so complex, I have provided 
the Modula-2 source code for it in 
listing 3. 

The instructions PUSHL and POPL 
are used to access all but global vari- 
ables; the X is for "local." They each 
take two arguments: the difference in 
lexical levels between the variable and 
the accessing routine and the offset 
of the variable. Each follows the chain 
of static pointers a number of times 
equal to the difference in lexical levels 
and then uses the offset to access the 
variable. PUSHL pushes the value of 
the variable onto the stack: POPL 
pops the top of the stack into the vari- 
able. 

{continued) 



138 BYTE • JANUARY 1986 



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ralms 



PROGRAMMING PROJECT 



TWo instructions, RETURN and 
FRETURN, handle returns. Both take 
one argument, the number of words 
of actual parameters (arguments) 
pushed onto the stack by the caller. 
They need this value to determine 
where to set the stack pointer. 
RETURN merely sets the stack 
pointer to where it was before the call 
effectively popping the activation 
record off the stack. FRETURN (func- 
tion return) first pops the top of the 
stack, which should contain the value 
to be returned by the function, then 
resets the stack pointer as with 
RETURN, and finally pushes the 
returned value back onto the stack. 

To get a sense of the code gen- 
erated by my compiler, you may want 
to look at listings lb and 2b; they 
show the compiler's output for listings 
la and 2a, respectively. 

Compiler Issues 

Paradoxically I have spent nearly all 
the second part of the compiler proj- 
ect describing a mechanism that is im- 
plemented in VM2. Of course, the 
mechanism would have been unnec- 
essary were it not for the peculiar 
problems that arise in compiling high- 
level languages with nested pro- 
cedures and functions. But it is now 
time to move to the compiler proper. 

The basic action of the compiler 
when it sees a routine is as follows: 
First, the routine name is entered into 
the symbol table. Then, the list of for- 
mal parameters is parsed; each formal 
parameter is entered separately into 
the symbol table, and the whole list 
of formals is attached to the routine's 
symbol-table entry as well to aid in 
checking calls to make sure they sup- 
ply the right number and types of 
arguments. If the routine is a function, 
its type is then parsed and placed in 
the routine's symbol-table entry. Next, 
the local variables are parsed and 
entered into the symbol table. The 
compiler's routine-compiling pro- 
cedure then calls itself recursively to 
handle any nested routines. 

Finally, the body of the routine is 
compiled. The compiler first outputs 
a label, which is the routine's name. 
Then, the code to place the local vari- 



ables onto the stack is generated. I do 
this by outputting a PUSHC instruc- 
tion for each local; as I said earlier, 
it has the effects of allocating a word 
on the stack and initializing the vari- 
able to 0. Lastly the code for the 
body is generated. In SIMPL, if no 
RETURN statement is executed in a 
procedure, that procedure returns 
after its last statement is executed; to 
handle this, the compiler needs to 
generate a RETURN instruction after 
the code for the procedure. Functions, 
on the other hand, have to return 
values explicitly. It should be an error 
if they don't. 

A few things are needed to 
embellish this basic compiling pro- 
cess. First, the compiler needs to 
remember the lexical level at which 
each identifier in the program is de- 
fined. It does this by means of a 
counter, lexicalLevel, which starts at 
0, is incremented whenever a routine 
definition occurs, and is decremented 
when the compiler has finished com- 
piling a routine. Each time a routine 
name or variable is defined, the cur- 
rent lexical level is stored with it in its 
symbol-table record. In order to get 
the visibility of routine names right, 
the counter must be incremented just 
after the routine name is seen but just 
before the formals are. Formals are 
treated as being local to the routine 
in which they occur. 

Second, formals and locals need to 
be given offsets from the FP. If you 
take a look at the form of an activa- 
tion record in figure 2, you'll see that 
the first local variable is one word 
below where the FP points to, so it 
should be given an offset of - I . The 
second local should be given an off- 
set of -2, and so on. Things are a bit 
more tricky with formals, however. 
The compiler handles the arguments 
in a routine call from left to right, 
pushing the first argument onto the 
stack first. Hence, the first argument 
will be farthest from the FP, so it 
should have the highest offset. To 
assign offsets to formals, the compiler 
must read them all in first, count how 
many there are, then go back through 
them and assign the offsets. Because 

[continued) 



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PROGRAMMING PROJECT 



of the way I've set up the activation 
record, the last argument—the one 
closest to where the FP points— will 
have an offset of 3. 

One final consideration is that after 
the compiler is done with a routine, 
all identifiers local only to that routine 
should be removed from the symbol 
table. This is so that a later part of the 
program can't possibly succeed in ref- 
erencing one of these identifiers. I'll 
now describe how to compile the vari- 
ous constructs that arise in dealing 
with routines. 

Routine Calls 

To compile a procedure or function 
call the arguments are treated as ex- 
pressions and each is compiled. 
When an expression is compiled, 
code is generated that will result in 
the value of the expression being left 
on the stack at run time, so compil- 
ing the arguments as expressions is 
just what the routine-calling mecha- 
nism requires. After the arguments 
are compiled, a CALL instruction is 
generated with the name of the rou- 
tine being called and the difference 
between the lexical level of the called 
routine and the current lexical level. 
The compiler also performs several 
checks: The called routine must be a 
function if the call occurs in an expres- 
sion, otherwise it must be a pro- 
cedure; and the number of arguments 
and their types must match with the 
list of formal parameters. 

SIMPL RETURN Statement 

When the compiler sees a RETURN 
statement followed by an expression, 



it checks to make sure it is in the pro- 
cess of compiling a function; if so, it 
generates code for the expression 
(which will result in the expression's 
value being pushed onto the stack at 
run time) and generates an FRETURN 
instruction. When the compiler sees 
a RETURN statement with no follow- 
ing expression, it makes sure it is com- 
piling a procedure, then it generates 
a VM2 RETURN instruction. 

Variable Access 

When a variable is used in the code, 
the compiler looks it up in the sym- 
bol table. If it is global, its name is 
used. If not, a PUSHL or POPL in- 
struction is generated, as appropriate, 
with the variable's offset and the dif- 
ference in lexical levels between the 
current one and the one in which the 
variable was defined. 

Name Management 

TWo minor problems remain for the 
compiler, both having to do with 
managing the names of identifiers. 
The first one concerns routine name 
clashes. Say you have two routines, P 
and Q. Inside P you can define 
another routine, R, and inside Q you 
can also define a routine called R. The 
problem is that you can't use the 
routine names as labels in the assem- 
bly-language program, since then you 
would have two "R" labels, and that's 
illegal in my assembler. The easiest 
solution is to generate a new label for 
every routine and record the label in 
the routine's symbol-table entry for 
use when the routine is called. 

[continued] 



' 


























- 




















- 










e 


^ 
















* . 





















































































Figure 5: The structure of the symbol table: an array of pointers to doubly linked lists 
of symbol-table entries. 



142 BYTE • JANUARY 1986 



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Inquiry 139 



JANUARY 1986 -BYTE 143 



* 



PROGRAMMING PROJECT 



The second problem concerns the 
process of looking up an identifier in 
the symbol table. Recall that the sec- 
ond scoping rule states that when an 
identifier that is declared in a nested 
routine is also declared inside the 
routine in which it is nested, the inner- 
most identifier shadows the other. So 
the b referred to by procedure R in 



listing 2a is the variable local to R, not 
the ones local to Q or P. How can we 
implement the identifier lookup 
routine so that this scoping rule is 
enforced? 

The obvious solution is to examine 
all the identifiers with the same name 
and choose the one defined at the 
highest lexical level. This solution will 




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work, but a simpler one suggests itself 
if you notice that identifiers in lower 
lexical levels are declared before 
those in higher ones. That is, as the 
compiler reads the program from top 
to bottom, it will first install global 
variables into the symbol table, then 
variables at lexical level 1, and so on. 
If the symbol table were merely a list 
of entries, and if new entries were in- 
serted at the beginning of the list, the 
lookup routine could simply take the 
first identifier whose name matched 
the one being looked up; since that 
identifier was the most recently in- 
serted of all those with the same 
name, it must have been defined at 
the highest lexical level. 

In practice, though, a single list is 
too inefficient a representation for a 
symbol table— the lookup time is pro- 
portional to the length of the list, and 
if there are many identifiers, the list 
will be long. It would be great if the 
symbol table could combine the effi- 
ciency of a hash table with the nice 
lookup property of a list. That's possi- 
ble if each element of the hash table, 
instead of containing a single symbol 
entry, contains a pointer to a list of en- 
tries. Instead of one long list, the sym- 
bol table consists of an array of 
shorter lists; and since identical 
strings hash to the same location in 
the array, all the identifiers with the 
same name will be on the same list. 
The lookup routine hashes the name 
of the identifier it is searching for, in- 
dexes the array to find the appropri- 
ate list, and searches the list in order, 
taking the first match it finds. To 
facilitate the removal of entries, the 
list is doubly linked. The structure of 
the symbol table is illustrated in figure 
5. 

Conclusion 

The Modula-2 source code for my 
S1MPL compiler, including the code to 
handle routines, along with the VM2 
assembler and VM2 monitor, are 
available for downloading from 
BYTEnet Listings. The telephone 
number is (617) 861-9764. In part 3 
next month,- I'll extend the compiler 
by adding some useful features like 
arrays. ■ 



144 B YTE • JANUARY 1986 



Inquiry 375 



by Namir Clement Shammas 



Creating 
Reusable 
Modules 




Capsule editors 



quickly customize 
modules in Modula-2 



The advent of Modula-2 
marked another step in the 
evolution of structured 
programming languages. 
Modula-2 evolved from Pascal and ad- 
dresses some programming aspects 
more effectively than its predecessor. 
Most important is its ability to create 



ILLUSTRATED BY CLAUDIA TANTILLO 






separate modules that are procedure 
libraries. These libraries perform 
many related tasks. The concept of 
modules stresses the ability to tackle 
a big software project and apply 
(reuse) the same code in future pro- 
grams. This cuts down on software de- 
velopment time, cost, and debugging. 
This article discusses module reus- 
ability—its limitations and remedies. 

To reuse code, you must write pro- 
cedures and modules that have some 
degree of freedom from the rest of 
the program. These modules carry 
out specific tasks while interchanging 
data with other parts of the program 
via global variables, call arguments, 
and data files. Modula-2, however, im- 
poses some restrictions to prevent 
this freedom from turning chaotic. 

Modula-2 requires that any vari- 
ables passed to procedures be of the 
exact same type (i.e., you can't mix ap- 
ples and oranges), and it allows no 
generic types. The language relaxes 
this somewhat for procedure calls for 
arrays. You can declare an open array 
without specifying its bound limits, 
which means that procedures can ac- 
cept arrays of different sizes but not 
of different basic types. For example, 
you can have a procedure like this: 

PROCEDURE SendString 
(Name : ARRAY OF CHAR); 

Notice that the variable Name is a 
character array whose dimensions are 
determined when the program calls 
the procedure SendString. Thus, 

[continued) 
Namir Clement Shammas (4814 Mill Park 
Court, Glen Allen, VA 23060) is a freelance 
writer and programmer. He is also a con- 
tributing editor to Computer Language 
magazine. 

JANUARY 1986 • BYTE 145 



REUSABLE MODULES 



SendString can accept arrays of any 
size as long as they have the basic 
type CHAR and are one-dimensional. 
Hopefully future language updates 
will expand the open-array feature. By 
comparison, the Ada language allows 
generic types but has stricter type 
checking. The C language, on the 
other hand, shows little or no type 
checking and allows the programmer 
a great deal of freedom— and respon- 
sibility. 

Remedies for some of these limita- 
tions are available in the following 
programming strategy: 

1. Write an incomplete program 
skeleton that constitutes the major 
portion of a procedure, function, or 
module. This capsule should include as 
much general code as possible. 

2. Write another program, a capsule 
editor, that customizes the capsule and 
adds the last details by interacting 



Enter the output filename ? c:sort1.tst 
Enter new procedure name ? ZipSort 
Enter record type name ? Mail 
Is the sort based on one field ? Yes 
Enter fieldname ? ZipCode 



Figure I : The display from running 
EditSort for a single sort key. 



Enter the output filename ? c:sort2.tst 
Enter new procedure name ? MailSort 
Enter record type name ? Mail 
Is the sort based on one field ? No 
Enter number of fields used ? 3 
Enter name for subkey # 1 ? ZipCode 
Enter name for subkey # 2 ? State 
Enter name for subkey # 3 ? Name 



Figure 2: The display from running 
EditSort for multiple sort keys. 



with the user for the required infor- 
mation. 

The resulting code produced by the 
capsule editor is correct and 
complete. 

Capsule editors are entire programs 
that perform text editing, insertion, 
and addition on the code in the cap- 
sules. You can think of them as ad- 
vanced processors that offer flexibili- 
ty before you invoke the compiler. It is 
normal to have one capsule altered by 
one editor. However, you can have 
several capsule editors work on the 
same capsule (or the reverse), and 
you need not write the capsules and 
their editors in the same language. 

The advantages of using capsule 
editors are 

• easier and faster means of produc- 
ing custom programs 

• lower software development cost 

[continued) 



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146 BYTE • JANUARY 1986 



Inquiry 320 




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Inquiry 281 JANUARY 1986 -BYTE 147 




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REUSABLE MODULES 



• increased reliability, and 

• the ability to produce custom pro- 
grams when the original software 
author is unavailable. 

A Demonstration 

This demonstration deals with a sort 
algorithm. I used Logitech's Modula-2/ 
86 compiler, version 0.3c, which does 
not have floating-point implementa- 
tion but does have reliable file I/O 
(input/output) operations. I used an 
IBM PC XT to test the program with 
all files located on drive C, the hard 
disk. The compiler did not have a 
string-manipulation library so I used 
Strlibl , a module I developed earlier. 
Reference I contains the code for this 
entire module. 

The example is a capsule for the 
recursive Quicksort algorithm. | Editor's 
note: Listings for QUIKSORT.MD2 and 
EDITSORT.MD2 can be downloaded from 
BYTEnet listings at (617) 861-9764.] This 
capsule is a procedure written with the 
following assumptions and remarks: 

1 . The data records to be sorted are 
of a dummy type called Item. The 
capsule editor changes this to match 
the desired custom record type. 

2. The original capsule has one single 
dummy sort called key, which the 
capsule editor alters according to 
your input. 

3. You can only sort on alphanumeric 
data fields (keys). 

4. If you use a field as a sort key, you 
must use the entire field. 

The capsule editor for the Quick- 
Sort capsule is the module EditSort. 
It performs the following functions: 

• prompts for the output filename 

• prompts for the output procedure 
name 

• asks for the record type name that 
you intend to use throughout your 
program, and 

• asks for the sort keys. (Based on the 
number of keys involved, the capsule 
editor decides how to edit Quicksort. 
The following two cases explain how 
this works.) 

If you want to sort a mailing list, you 
could call your record type, Mail and 

[continued] 



Listing 1: The output code generated by running the EditSort capsule editor 
on the Quicksort capsule with a single sort key. 

PROCEDURE ZipSort( A : ARRAY OF Mail ; N : CARDINAL ); 

PROCEDURE Compare ( S1, S2 : ARRAY OF CHAR): BOOLEAN; 
(* Compare two strings of the same maximum length.*) 

CONST eos = 0C; (* end of string *) 

VAR Less, Stop : BOOLEAN; 
i : CARDINAL; 

BEGIN 

Less : = FALSE; 
Stop : = FALSE; 
i := 0; 

WHILE (i < = HIGH(S1)) AND (Less = FALSE) AND (Stop = FALSE) DO 
IF (SI [i] < > eos) AND (S2[i] < > eos) 
THEN (* Proceed in comparison *) 

IF (S1[i] < S2[i]) THEN Less := TRUE ELSE INC(i) END; 
ELSE Stop : = TRUE (* Reached the end of string*) 
END; 
END; 

RETURN Less; 
END Compare; 

PROCEDURE Sort( L, R : CARDINAL); 

VAR i, j : CARDINAL; 
X, W : Mail; 

r 

BEGIN 

X := A[(L + R) DIV 2]; 
REPEAT 

WHILE Compare(A[i].ZipCode,X.ZipCode) DO INC(i) END; 
WHILE Compare(X.ZipCode,A[i].ZipCode) DO DECQ) END; 
IF i < = j THEN 

W = A[i] : = A[i] ; A[i] : = A[j] ; Afll : = W ; 
INC(i) ; DECQ) 
END; 
UNTIL i > j ; 

IF L < j THEN Sort(Lj) END; 
IF i < R THEN Sort(i.R) END; 
END Sort; 

BEGIN 

Sort(1,N) 

END ZipSort; 



148 BYTE • JANUARY 1986 



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REUSABLE MODULES 



Listing 2: The output code generated by running the EditSort capsule editor 
on the Quicksort capsule with multiple sort keys. 

PROCEDURE MailSort( A : ARRAY OF Mail ; N : CARDINAL ); 

PROCEDURE Compare ( R1, R2 : Mail): BOOLEAN; 
(* Compare two strings of the same maximum lengths.*) 

CONST eos = OC; (* end of string *) 

VAR Less, Stop : BOOLEAN; 
i ; CARDINAL; 
S1, S2 : ARRAY [L.YourMaxString] OF CHAR; 

BEGIN 

Less : = FALSE; 
Stop : = FALSE; 
i := 0; 

Stringls(S1,R1.ZipCode) ; Stringls(S2,R2.ZipCode) ; 
StringAdd(S1,R1. State) ; StringAdd(S2,R2. State) ; 
StringAdd(S1,R1.Name) ; StringAdd(S2,R2.Name) ; 

WHILE (i < = HIGH(S1)) AND (Less = FALSE) AND (Stop = FALSE) DO 
IF (S1 [i] < > eos) AND (S2[i] < > eos) 
THEN (* Proceed in comparison *) 

IF (SI [i] < S2[i]) THEN Less := TRUE ELSE INC(i) END; 
ELSE Stop : = TRUE (* Reached the end of string*) 
END; 
END; 

RETURN Less; 
END Compare; 

PROCEDURE Sort( L, R : CARDINAL); 

VAR i, j : CARDINAL; 
X, W : Mail; 

BEGIN 

X := A[(L + R)DIV2]; 
REPEAT 

WHILE Compare(A[i],X) DO INC(i) END; 
WHILE Compare(X,A[i]) DO DECQ) END; 
IF i <= jTHEN 

W = A[i] ; = A[i] ; A[i] : = A[j] ; A[j] : = W ; 
INC(i) ; DECQ) 
END; 
UNTIL i > j ; 

IF L < j THEN Sort(Lj) END; 
IF i < R THEN Sort(i.R) END; 
END Sort; 

BEGIN 

Sort(1,N) 

END MailSort; 



declare it as 

TYPE Mail = RECORD 

Name : ARRAY [1..30] OF CHAR; 

Address : ARRAY [1..30] OF CHAR; 

City : ARRAY [1..20] OF CHAR; 

State : ARRAY [1..2] OF CHAR; 

ZipCode : ARRAY [1..9] OF CHAR 

END; 

In the first case, you want to sort by 
zip code only Create a new pro- 
cedure named ZipSort. and store it in 
file c:sort1.tst. Figure 1 shows the 
display for this case and listing I 
shows the output file. If you compare 
it with the original capsule, you will 
see that the capsule editor alters only 
the procedure name, the record type 
name, and the sort key according to 
your input. It adds no program linesl 

In the second case, you want to sort 
by three fields (zip code, state, and 
name). Call the new procedure Mail- 
Sort, and save it in file c:sort2.tst 
Figure 2 shows the display and listing 
2 shows the output file. In this case, 
the action exceeds mere renaming. 
The capsule editor alters the argu- 
ment calls of the procedure Com- 
pare; it takes records of type Mail in- 
stead of strings as arguments; it 
declares strings previously passed as 
local variables; and it adds enough 
code lines to build the sort strings. 
The capsule editor even alters the use 
of Compare in the procedure Sort, 
and it eliminates dummy key com- 
ponents altogether. 

The strategy of using capsules pro- 
vides you with a new kind of software 
tool. When applied to supercom- 
puters, these tools create a new class 
of programmers. Modula-2 capsules 
offer an alternative to changing the 
code prior to compilation, one that 
allows modules to be quickly cus- 
tomized. ■ 

REFERENCES 

1. Shammas. N.. "Modula-2: No Strings At- 
tached." journal of Pascal and Ada. 
March/April 1984. 

2. Wiener. R.. ''Generic Sorting in 
Modula-2," journal of Pascal and Ada. 
January/February 1984. 

3. Wirth. N., Algorithms + Data Structures = 
Programs. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice- 
Hall. 1976. 



150 BYTE • JANUARY 1986 





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charges extra and takes up another slot.) 

A lot of people wonder how Hercules 
can do everything that IBM can in a card 
less than half the size. We do it by designing 
our own graphics microchips. Just one of our 
chips packs the punch of dozens of IBM's, 
reducing by more than 50% the number of 
components that can fail. 



And we'll do just about anything to 
make our products the most reliable you 
can buy. 





Hercules 



IBM 



Of course, you will have to give up 
something when you buy a Hercules Color 
Card. You'll have to give up software incom- 
patibility. With Hercules, there is none. 
Every program that runs on the IBM color 
card will run on the Hercules Color Card. 

You'll have to give up IBM's ninety day 
warranty. Ours is two years. 



IBM 
Hercules 



Compare warranties 



3 months 



i 2 years 



And you'll have to give up a dollar. The 
Hercules Color Card is $245-IBM's is $244. 

Look into the Hercules Color Card 
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readers of PC World voted the Hercules 
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inquiry 155 We're strong on graphics. 



Address: 2550 Ninth St., Berkeley, CA 94710 Ph: 415 540-6000 Telex:754063 Trademarks/Owners: Hercules/Hercules Computer Technology; IBM, XT, AT/IBM. Printer cable offer 
expires February 28, 1986. Good only in U.S.A., offer subject to change without notice. 



Here there be Wizards! 



In the distant past, stories 
were told of a breed of 
mysterious and powerful 
beings; beings that could 
weave magical spells, 
conjure spirits from the 
vasty deep, and calm the 
raging elements with 
subtle movements of the 
hand. They were called 
Wizards — the keepers of 
rare' and special 
knowledge. 

Today, they work their 
craft still: invoking 
daemons, executing spells, 
and controlling the very 
source of their 
environment. No magic, 
but wizardry nonetheless; 
the kind of wizardry 
without which much of 
today's world would 
simply cease to function. 

These modern-day Wizards 
are masters of systems 



software for computer 
networks, switching 
systems, and operating 
systems such as UNIX 
and UTS on machines 
ranging from the largest 
mainframe to the smallest 
microcomputer. 
In many ways 







they hold the keys 
to the principles that 
control a society which 
is now dependent on 
this powerful software. 
At Lachman Associates, 
Inc., we understand the 
I unique position 
of talented 



UNIX professionals 
because that is what we 
are. With over 100 
full-time consultants, we 
advise on and direct 
sophisticated projects for 
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Our projects include 
multi-processor and high 
reliability operating system 
evaluation and 
development; networking 
with X.25 and Ethernet; 
tools such as compilers, 
interactive graphics, and 
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and documentation. 

So be advised, Wizards do 
exist. In fact, perhaps you 



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645 Blackhawk Drive • Westmont, IL 60559 , I /} i 

312 986 8840 JHfll/ A 



Chicago Columbus 
Denver New Jersey 



PROGRAMMING INSIGHT 



EASY 
3-D GRAPHICS 

BY Henning Mittelbach 



A BASIC program 
for plotting 3-D surfaces 



AFTER READING "Budget 3-D 
Graphics" by Tom Clune (March 1985 
BYTE, page 240), I decided to develop 
a low-cost program for three-dimen- 
sional graphics on small computers. 
\Editor's note: Versions of the program for the 
IBM PC Macintosh, and Apple WlWe are 



available for downloading via BYTEnet 
Listings. The telephone number is (617) 
861-9764. More information on download- 
ing to your particular machine can be found 
at the end of the article] 

The program is based upon the for- 
mulas for an axonometric projection 



{0. 0) !*■ 



XB UP TO 279- 



YB TO 189 




PLOTTED 

AREA 



Figure I: The graphic window, shown here for the Apple II, on which the 3-D graphics 
program was developed. 



in relation to the origin, as shown: 

XB = X*COS(PHI) - Y*COS(PSI) 
YB = X*SIN(PHI) - Y*SIN(PSI) + Z 

Depending on the graphic window 
of the computer used, you may 
change these formulas to 

XB = XO + X*COS(PHI) - 

Y*COS(PSI) 

YB = YO - X*SIN(PHI) - 

Y*SIN(PSI) - Z 

where XO and YO will represent the 
origin of the axes, as shown in figure 
1. (I developed the program on an 
Apple II, with XO = 110 and YO = 180.) 
Also in figure 1, (XB.YB) is the point 
to be plotted, and PHI and PSI are 
the angles referring to the horizon. 
The function Z = F(X,Y), in line 200 
of the program, needs a scaling fac- 
tor F (line 210) that the user has to 
introduce in the program. 

The Program 

The program starts at lines 100 to 180 
where you set the parameters X0, Y0, 

(continued) 

Henning Mittelbach (FH Munchen, 
Lnthstrasse, D8000 Munchen, West Ger- 
many) is professor of mathematics at Fach- 
hochschule Munchen. 



« — Inquiry 424 



JANUARY 1986 'BYTE 153 



Inquiry 398 



1st PLACE 

COMPUTER SYSTEMS 
13422 N. CAVECREEK RD. 

PHOENIX, AZ. 85022 

OTHER INFORMATION: 602-867-9897 



s chtck or monay ordar 
daisy shipping two 



all othar chacki will 



CALL FREE 
1-800-841-2748 

Hi — I'm Joan, 

I want to wish you 
all a Happy New Year 
and thank you for a suc- 
cessful 1985. 

We are again looking 
forward to a even great- 
er 1986. With your help 
we can do it, so keep 

these phones ringing and let us show you 

our fast and courteous service. 

Thank you and God Bless 
Joan 




COMPUTERS 



ALTOS 186-10 $4415 

ALTOS 486-20 $4195 

ALTOS 580-20 $3310 

ALTOS 586-20 $5299 

ALTOS 986T-40 9355 

ALTOS 2086-T80 $14,779 

IBM PC $CALL 

ITT PC $CALL 

LEADING EDGE $CALL 

ZENITH $CALL 

SOFTWARE $CALL 

CITIZEN. MSP-10 $249 

C. ITOH $CALL 

EPSON $CALL 

JUKI 6100 $349 

OKIDATA $CALL 

STAR MICRONICS. SG10 $207 

NEC 3550 $999 

DIABLO D-25 $529 

SILVER REED $CALL 

TOSHIBA 351P $1029 

WYSE 50 $419 

WYSE 85 $579 

QUME 101G $289 

QUME 202G $599 

TELEVIDEO $CALL 

AMDEK $CALL 

TAXAN 630 $429 

TAXAN 420 $399 

PRINCETON MAX 12E $169 

PRINCETON HX 12 $445 

PRINCETON SR 12 $615 

7 PK. MULTI FUNCTION $149 

PARADISE 5 PK $154 

HERCULES CL. GR $145 

EVEREX EDGE $315 

TANDON $CALL 

TEAC $CALL 

BERNOULLI BOX! ..!..!.. $CALL 
TALLGRASS $CALL 

PROMETHEUS 1200 EXT $305 

FAMOUS MAKER INT $189 

FAMOUS MAKER EXT $224 

HAYES SMARTMODEM 1200 . . . $369 

HAYESSMARTMODEM 1200B . . $315 

HAYES SMARTMODEM 2400 . . . $605 

154 BYTE • JANUARY 1986 



SIMPLE 3-D GRAPHICS 



PHI, PSI. XL XR. YL, YR, and D. 
Changing parameters gives you vari- 
ety. It is important that XL be less 
than XR and YL be less than YR, 
though these values may be either 
positive or negative. 

The parameter D gives the distance 
between the coordinate lines to be 
plotted. The program sets D = 5, al- 
though you can make D smaller (for 
a more detailed graph) or larger (for 
a coarser graph that takes less time 
to plot). You should be sure, however, 
that the differences XR-XL and 
YR-YL are multiples of D, or the 
graphic will have no contour. 

Line 200 contains the function to be 
plotted. Figure 2, for example, shows 
the plot of the program with the 
function 

FN Y(X) = SIN (Y/F) * (X-Y) * 
(X-Y)/150 

The parameter F, in line 210, stretch- 
es the X and Y directions in the argu- 
ment of Y(X), as does the divisor I 50 
in line 200. 

After fitting some abbreviations to 
accelerate the plotting (which can take 
several minutes), line 260 sets an up- 
per limit for FN(X). Later, in lines 1040 



and 2040, the program cuts those 
values of F(X) that would fall above 
the top of the window. 

Line 2 70 asks whether you want to 
see the graph with two sets of coor- 
dinate lines, as in figure 2, or with one 
set of coordinate lines (which takes 
less time). Depending on your re- 
sponse, the program goes to subrou- 
tines at line 1000 or 2000. 

Lines 300 to 330 ask if you wish to 
see the axes or not, and will draw 
them if you do, while line 3 50 draws 
a frame for the graph. 

Next, an array H is set to the lower 
border of the window. Later, a part of 
this array will be plotted to get the 
hidden lines. 

The program continues with line 
1000. First the mask (array H) is raised 
to the front line of X. Later, the Y- 
coordinate lines can only be plotted 
if they are above this border. Thus, in 
line 1060 

IF YB < H(XB) THEN H(XB) = YB 

a small value for XB will be corrected 
up. 

Line 1 1 20 starts the first Y- 
coordinate line with the smallest Y 
value, Y = YL. The inner loop Y corn- 




Figure 2: The 3-D plot of the function FN Y(X) = SIN(Y/F)*(X- Y)*(X- Y)/150. 



SIMPLE 3-D GRAPHICS 




Figure 3: The 3-D plot of the function FN Y(X) = 20*SIN(X/F)*COS(Y/F). 



Figure 4: The 3-D plot of the function FN Y(X) = -8*EXP(SIN(X*Y/F/F)). 



putes all points with fixed X (first 
X = XL) and then, after setting the 
mask on this line, plots the line (lines 
1200 to 1220 of the program). 

Lines 2000 to 2240 are an exact 
copy of lines 1000 to 1240 and are 
called if you choose the cross-hatch- 
ing option at the beginning of the pro- 
gram run. 

A number of examples follow. 
Figure 2, the 3-D graphic that comes 
with the program, uses the param- 
eters 




xo 


= 110 




Y0 


= 180 




PHI 


= 0.5 




PSI 


= 0.4 




XL 


= 




YL 


= 




XR 


= 170 




YR 


= 100 




D 


= 5 




FN 


Y(X) = SIN 


(Y/F) 


(X- 


Y)/1 50 




F 


= 10 





(X-Y) 



Figure 3 uses similar parameters, ex- 
cept that D = 10, F=20 and the 
function 

FN Y(X) = 20 * SIN(X/F) * COS (Y/F) 

was substituted on line 200. The pa- 




XO 


= 140 


Y0 


= 100 


PHI 


= 0.3 


PSI 


= 0.3 


XL 


= -70 


YL 


= -70 


XR 


= 70 


YR 


= 70 


D 


= 10 


FNY(X) = -8 


F 


= 28 



Figure 5: The 3-D plot of the function FN Y(X) = -X*Y/F/F 



EXP(SIN(X*Y/F/F)) 



produce figure 4. Changing the func- 
tion on line 200 to 

FN Y(X) = -X*Y/F/F 

and setting F= 10 produces the plot 
shown in figure 5. ■ 

The program for easy 3-D graphics is available 
as PCGRAF.BAS for the IBM Personal 
Computer. MACGRAF.BAS for the Apple 
Macintosh, and APPLGRAF.BAS for the 
Apple II family (DOS 3.3). You will need 
BASIC for whichever system you choose. 



JANUARY 1986 'BYTE 155 





/ ' 


%^if 


MmdK. 


• 





orum 

Electronic Meeting System 

Until eForum- - 

bulletin boards, e-mail 

and computer conferencing 

were just a lot of static. 



Every major communications 
breakthrough has its infancy. Computer 
conferencing's first buzz started with 
randomly networked bulletin boards, 
experimental CB's and then e-mail. Of 
course, Federal projects gave conferencing 
real legitimacy. But at a prohibitive price. 

Now comes the giant step. eForum. It 
shoots computer conferencing right off the 
evolutionary chart by bringing long-awaited 
sophistication that business needed to truly 
put computer conferencing to work. 

In a nutshell, eForum creates electronic 
"meetings" which allow groups of people, not 
just two or three, to communicate and "chat" 
on a myriad of subjects. Without worrying 
about time or geographic zones. 

Since eForum maintains all the meetings in 
one place, each person simply "attends" the 
meeting at the most accessible time. And 
eForum not only keeps track of what can 
literally be hundreds of meetings, allowing 
only those authorized to "attend," but 
the easy-to-follow structure keeps the 
"attendee" from getting lost or reading 
unnecessary material. 

Then eForum automatically organizes, 
indexes and files and gives each person an 
individualized view of what's new in the 
meeting and a complete written record of 
each meeting. Even sending totally private 



messages is easy with eMemo, the enhanced 
electronic mail facility. 

That's revolutionary. Yet eForum goes 
further by letting each organization set up 
eForum the way that's most efficient for 
it. By using internal host computers. Or 
by accessing eForum through a national 
communications network like General 
Electric Information Service. 

And, if that's not breakthrough enough, 
eForum is even designed to let each person 
use a personal computer and the most 
popular software around — Lotus 1-2-3™, 
WordStar™, MultiMate™, DisplayWrite™ 
and more — so "electronic handouts" can 
be brought to each meeting. 

Too, if you have need to do document 
development with a team of people, 
docuForum is our document editing 
and transfer software which uses the 
conferencing capabilities of eForum to 
let team members comment and propose 
changes to a document. 

So, don't let the newest explosion in 
computer conferencing catch you asleep at 
the keyboard. Call our 800 number and get 
"on the meeting" now. And soon, just like 
when the microchip changed the world's idea 
about computers, you'll wonder how you ever 
got along without eForum. 



Call 800-638-4832 to find out how you can get an immediate on-line eForum 
demonstration! In Michigan, call 313-994-4030. In Canada, call 604-682-6265. 



3 E zz= Network Technologies International, Inc. 



The Arbor Atrium Building 

315 West Huron 

Ann Arbor, Michigan 48 103 

Inquiry 417 



ciimim i> a trademark of Nchwirk Technok: 



"Display Write and MuliiMi 



^MftllilRTruaBBM 




I 



WS 






BYTE 



Robotics 



Machine Vision 

by Phil Dunbar 161 

Robotic Tactile Sensing 

by Kirk E. Pennywitt 177 

Multiple Robotic Manipulators 

by }. Scott Hawker. R. N. Nagel. Richard 
Roberts, and Nicholas G. Odrey 203 

Autonomous Robot Navigation 

by Charles ]orgensen. William Hamel. and 
Charles VJeisbin 223 

AI in Computer Vision 

by John L. Cuadrado and 

Clara Y. Cuadrado 237 

Automation in Organic Synthesis 

by Gary W. Kramer and Philip L. Fuchs . . 263 



I TEND TO THINK of servo- and stepper-motor control data acquisition with 
sensors, and the like as mature technologies. So when I began to research 
this theme, the foremost questions in my mind were, What makes robotics 
so hard? Why is it taking so long to develop this technology? This month's 
theme authors provide clear explanations of what some of the major prob- 
lems are and indicate some of the new research developments that are final- 
ly bringing robotics to maturity. 

One set of robotics problems involves sensors. We begin our theme with 
two pieces on this topic, one on vision and the other on touch. It is generally 
agreed that these two are necessary (and possibly sufficient) for most 
autonomous robotic functions. 

First, Phil Dunbar presents a discussion of the problems of current camera 
systems for robotic vision. He includes an overview of some of the more in- 
teresting cameras available for machine vision. 

Next, Kirk Pennywitt looks at directions in research on touch sensors. Those 
who think of mechanical tpuch as synonymous with pressure transducers will 
be surprised to learn how complex this subject really is. 

Motion is central to the idea of robotics. We have two pieces that discuss 
some of the issues associated with machine motion. I. Scott Hawker, R. N. 
Nagel, Richard Roberts, and Nicholas G. Odrey discuss coordination of two 
arms in performing a task. Research on this topic is just beginning, so the 
focus of the piece is more on problems to be addressed than answers that 
have been devised. Charles Jorgensen, William Hamel, and Charles Weisbin 
consider the levels of complexity of robotic navigation. They use a delightful 
analogy to Magellan, Columbus, and Ulysses to clarify the issues involved in 
machine exploration. 

The problems of robotic navigation are primarily concerned with artificial 
intelligence, as is our next piece. Clara and lohn Cuadrado discuss artificial 
intelligence in machine vision. Their article explains such AI concepts as frames, 
inheritance, and demons so clearly that I finally understand what these terms 
mean. 

Finally Gary W. Kramer and Philip L. Fuchs discuss how they used a robotic 
arm to automate their organic chemistry laboratory. I find two aspects of their 
piece especially interesting. First is how they solved the universal problem 
in robotics of interfacing disparate equipment. Second, the' arm that they 
employ is perhaps the lowest-tech piece of equipment in their lab, but it has 
allowed them to unlock the power of the intelligent instruments with which 
they work. 

It is impossible to cover all the major topics of robotics in a single theme. 
For example, both Phil Dunbar and the Cuadrados acknowledge that the 
hardest part of machine vision is the intermediate level, where camera data 
is analyzed to identify, for example, two overlapping objects in a field of vi- 
sion. This is a hot topic in current vision research but is not included in our 
theme. However, we found the articles that are here exciting and informative. 
We hope you have as much fun reading them as we did. 

—Tom Clune, Technical Editor 



JANUARY 1986 -BYTE 159 



At The Future is 
at Gold Hill Today 



You know artificial intelligence is the 
wave of the future. Programs based 
on the ideas of artificial intelligence 
are being written today in Common 
Lisp-the new Lisp standard 
developed by researchers from 
universities and corporations 
such as Carnegie Mellon, DEC, 
MIT, Stanford, Symbolics 
and TI. Lisp allows the devel- 
opment of programs that are 
intelligent, flexible, and even 
human-like. The problem has 
been that hardware needed to 
run Lisp is expensive. 

No longer. Golden Common 
Lisp (GC Lisp) makes it possible 
for you to learn and use Lisp on 
your personal computer. When you 
use GC Lisp in combination with the 
AI examples provided, you will be 
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interfaces to complex software. 
The possibilities are endless. With 
GC Lisp you can tackle problems 
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with ordinary number crunching 
programs. You will be able to write 
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modate casual computer users who 
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Easy to Learn 

GC Lisp makes it easy for you to learn 
the technology of Al at your own 
pace. Each package includes the San 
Marco Lisp Explorer- an interactive 
software tutorial developed by 
Patrick H. Winston and his associ- 
ciates. This 800-frame instructional 




Golden Common Lisp is the best selling 
AL language. 

system guides you through the 
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makes the full range of Lisp's 
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The second edition of the classic 
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More Power 

GC Lisp comes complete with the 
intelligent GM ACS editor (based 
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functions, the Common Lisp Refer- 
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Golden Common Lisp comes with 
everything you need to program in 
Lisp. GC Lisp is the most powerful 



g o L D 



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The Complete Solution 

In addition to GC Lisp, Gold Hill 
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These include the GC Lisp 
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Order Today 

For order information on Gold Hill 
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GC Lisp requires an IBM PC, PC XT, PC 
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Gold Hill Computers 

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163 Harvard Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139 



D C 



GOLDEN COMMON' Lisp and GC Lisp arc trademarks ol'Gokt Hill Computers. The San Marco Lisp Explorer is a trademark of San Marco Associates. 

USPis copyrighted by Addison- VC'csley Publishing Company, Inc. The COMMOS' I.f.SP Reference Manual is copyrighted by Digital Equipment 

Corporation. IBM PC, PC XT, PC AT, and PC-DOS arc trademarks of International Business Machines. 

Halo Graphics is a trademark of Media Cybernetics. Symbolics is a trademark of Symbolics, Inc. 



160 BYTE • JANUARY 1986 



Inquiry 145 



ROBOTICS 



MACHINE 
VISION 



by Phil Dunbar 



An examination of what's new 
in vision hardware 



THE POTENTIAL APPLICATIONS of 
machine vision are many and obvious. 
Everything from quality assurance to 
robotic navigation could benefit from 
the availability of reliable vision sys- 
tems for computers. Perhaps less ob- 
vious, though, is the variety of prob- 
lems that hamper development of the 
technology. These problems appear 
on all levels of machine vision— hard- 
ware, low-level analysis, and high-level 
AI (artificial intelligence) manipulation 
of low-level data. This article will 
discuss problems that plague the de- 
velopment of vision-system hardware 
and indicate some of the technology 
that has emerged to address these 
problems. 

You might think that the most dif- 
ficult hardware problem in vision sys- 
tems is digitizing the high-frequency 
analog stream of camera data. In fact, 
that is not so. Currently, machine vi- 
sion algorithms use gray-scale (i.e., 
monochrome intensity) video infor- 
mation almost exclusively. Such infor- 
mation can be adequately extracted 
from an analog signal by a 6-bit or 
8-bit A/D (analog to digital) converter. 
Real-time conversion requires approx- 
imately a 10-MHz conversion rate to 
digitize a 512- by 512-pixel image. 



These rates can be achieved with flash 
converters, pioneered by the TRW 
company when it introduced the TDC 
1007 in 1977. Flash converters 
employ (2")-l comparators to per- 
form A/-bit conversions. That is, an 
8-bit flash comparator requires 25 5 
comparators to operate. Since all pos- 
sible digitized values can be com- 
pared to the signal at once, the 
throughput is much greater than with 
successive approximation methods. 
Of course, the complexity of the con- 
verter rises exponentially with linear 
increases in resolution. Notable 
among the commercially available 
flash converters is TRW's 8-bit mono- 
lithic chip flash converter (TDC 1048) 
that can operate at speeds necessary 
for real-time machine vision applica- 
tions and costs about $140 per unit. 
The real problems with vision hard- 
ware revolve around the cameras. The 
problems fall into two basic categor- 
ies: video signal standards and limita- 
tions of particular camera hardware 
technologies. 

Television Standards 

Much of robotics suffers from a lack 
of standards. Machine vision, on the 
other hand, suffers from the existence 



of video signal standards that are not 
appropriate for our needs. Those 
standards were created by and for the 
television industry. Since the enter- 
tainment industry is still a far more 
lucrative market for camera manufac- 
turers than machine vision, few image 
sensors and cameras deviate from 
television standards. 

The monochrome video signal stan- 
dard used in the United States, Japan/ 
and most of the Western Hemisphere 
is RS-170, a subset of the NTSC (Na- 
tional Television Systems Committee) 
standard. Europe uses the interna- 
tional CCIR (Consultative Committee, 
International Radio) standard, which 
is similar to, but not compatible with, 
RS-170. Since both standards present 
essentially the same problems to ma- 
chine vision applications, I will limit 
my remarks to the RS-170 standard. 

The RS-170 standard defines the 
composite video and synchronizing 
signal that your television uses (see 
figure 1). The image is transmitted one 
line at a time from top to bottom of 

[continued] 
Phil Dunbar is Manager of Software Engi- 
neering, \ndustrial Automation Division, 
Analog Devices \nc. (POB 280, Norwood, 
MA 02062). 



JANUARY 1986 -BYTE 161 



MACHINE VISION 



the television screen. The full image 
frame consists of 52 5 lines, repeated 
at 30 Hz. Each frame consists of two 
interleaved fields of 262.5 lines. Forty 
lines are blank to allow for vertical 
retrace of the raster scan. Sync signals 
precede each line of video signal. The 
synchronization may originate from 
either the camera or the display 
apparatus. 

Unfortunately for robotics and other 
machine vision tasks, the RS-170 stan- 
dard specifies a 4:3 horizontal-to- 
vertical aspect ratio for video signals. 
This means that the video-signal rep- 
resention of a square will be longer 
in the x direction than in the y direc- 
tion. Your television has a comple- 
mentary distortion of a 3:4 aspect 
ratio, so the image of the square ends 
up appearing visually correct. How- 
ever, this system poses a problem to 
algorithm design, since vision algo- 
rithms measure distances and toler- 
ances by counting pixels from edge 
to edge. When viewed through a 4:3 
aspect ratio, there is a geometric 



distortion. At the digital level, circles 
become ellipses and squares become 
rectangles. Thus, distance measure- 
ment is tedious for objects of random 
orientation. For example, to deter- 
mine the length of a straight edge, you 
must project the edge onto the x and 
y axes, normalize the distance on one 
axis to the opposite (reference) axis, 
and then calculate the true length as 
the hypotenuse. It would help to have 
machine vision cameras with a sym- 
metric aspect ratio. Some do exist, 
but there is no public standard for the 
composite output signal. 

Lights, Camera, Action 

There are other problems associated 
with the entertainment-industry bias 
of camera technology besides inap- 
propriate standards. Primary among 
these is simply that the technology 
has been developed for consumption 
by human eyes and brains. Biological 
vision tends to be insensitive to ab- 
solute light intensity, slow variation in 
intensity, and spatial accuracy. While 



REFERENCE WHITE 




PEDESTAL- 



-SYNC 
SIGNAL 



BLANKING LEVEL 



SYNC LEVEL 



Figure 1: A composite video signal as it might appear on an oscilloscope. 



J 


w. 




ILLUMINATION 



Figure 2: A graph of response curves for y 
[black). 



(red), y >1 (blue), and y =1 



the human eye is well adapted to 
detection of local intensity gradients, 
global gradients cannot be perceived 
without high contrast. Since overengi- 
neering any product does not make 
economic sense, video cameras tend 
to suffer the same biases as humans 
do. 1 will discuss some of these biases 
in detail later in the article. 

Another problem that can be traced 
to the entertainment industry is that 
most video cameras exhibit a non- 
linear response to light intensity to 
compensate for nonlinearity in CRT 
(cathode-ray tube) monitors. What 
linearity means when you are talking 
about light intensity is not intuitively 
obvious, so I will pause to clarify this 
concept. 

Camera dynamic range is deter- 
mined by the ratio between video out- 
put amplitude at saturation and RMS 
(root mean square) noise in darkness. 
It is essentially limited by noise in the 
low end and maximum charge capaci- 
ty in the high end. Some cameras 
have automatic gain control (AGC), 
which adjusts the absolute gray-scale 
response of the sensor to total bright- 
ness of the scene. Most often, how- 
ever, you will control the illumination 
in machine vision applications. Thus, 
you may need to use reference gray 
values when you switch from scene to 
scene, or important information may 
be compressed in dark regions of the 
scene by AGC adjustment to bright 
regions. 

Gray-scale response linearity is 
specified by the term gamma (7), 
which is the exponent in the function 
A = K * I y . where / is light intensity, 
K is a constant, and A is the output 
amplitude. A gamma of 1 yields a 
linear response, whereas less than 1 
compresses the bright end of the 
response curve and greater than 1 
compresses the dark end (see figure 
2). Many video cameras have a 
gamma of less than 1 to compensate 
for video monitors that exhibit the op- 
posite effect. 

Sensor technologies 

There are essentially two types of 
video cameras available— one is 

[continued) 



162 BYTE* JANUARY !986 




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JANUARY I986 'BYTE 163 



MACHINE VISION 



based on vacuum-tube technology, 
and the other is based on semicon- 
ductor technology. While tube 
cameras have been around for a long 
time, solid-state cameras date back 
only to the early 1970s. 

VlDICONS 

Since vacuum tubes have been 
around the longest we will consider 
vacuum-tube cameras first. Various 
types of photoemissive devices are 
used for imaging in specialized appli- 
cations that require low light or in- 
frared vision. For normal video appli- 
cations, the most popular and cost- 
effective of the tube sensors is the 



vidicon tube (see figure 3), a photo- 
conductive device. It employs a 
photoconductive layer that develops 
an electric charge in response to 
impinging photons. An electron beam 
scans the photo layer in a raster for- 
mat, reducing the charge along a line 
of the picture. This discharge pro- 
duces a continuous analog signal pro- 
portional to the light intensity of the 
focused image. The camera elec- 
tronics insert sync pulses to indicate 
scan lines, fields, and frame ends. 
Vidicons can image a wide spectral 
band from the ultraviolet, through the 
visible, to the near-infrared. As you 
can see in figure 4, the vidicon tube 



LIGHT 



SIGNAL PLATE (TRANSPARENT) 



PHOTOCONDUCTIVE MATERIAL 



SCANNING 
ELECTRON 
BEAM 



ELECTRON GUN CATHODE 



1\- 



OUTPUT 
SIGNAL 



RL 

(RESISTANCE 
LADDER) 



POSITIVE 
VOLTAGE 
POTENTIAL 



Figure 3: A diagram of a vidicon tube sensor. 



400 500 600 700 800 900 1000 1100 

WAVELENGTH (NANOMETERS) 

UV I VIOLET | BLUE! GREEN M I RED I INFRARED 



Figure 4: The spectral response of the human eye (blue), vidicon (red), and CCD 
image sensors (black). 




has a spectral response similar to, but 
broader than, the human eye. 

The drawbacks to vidicon tubes are 
analogous to the drawbacks to tubes 
generally. They require more power, 
are less rugged, weigh more, and are 
larger than solid-state devices. In ad- 
dition, they have one drawback that 
is unique to camera technology: They 
exhibit significant image lag. What 
this means is that the electric charge 
that was induced in the photo layer 
for one frame tends to persist over 
subsequent frames. Thus, a quickly 
moving bright object will appear to 
leave a tail in its wake, rather like a 
comet. A newer kind of tube sensor, 
called the newvicon tube, has lower 
image lag than the vidicon. However, 
the newvicon has a spectral response 
biased toward th e far-red region. 

Solid-State Cameras 

Most solid-state cameras are based 
on charge-coupled device (CCD) tech- 
nology, which is now closing in on the 
performance of existing camera 
tubes. Silicon, with energy sensitivity 
in the range of 400 to 1100 nano- 
meters (see figure 4), is a good choice 
for detection in the visible spectrum. 
However, one of the problems of 
solid-state image sensors is that they 
have a peak sensitivity in the near- 
infrared, although most have a 
bimodal spectral response with a sec- 
ond peak in the green. Because of 
broad near-infrared sensitivity be- 
tween 800 and 1 100 nm, you should 
use an infrared cut filter with solid- 
state cameras, particularly if they will 
be used under incandescent lighting. 
Ambient infrared light has a "wash- 
out" effect on response in the visible 
spectrum. In fact, most solid-state 
camera manufacturers specify sen- 
sitivity, only with an infrared filter. 

Solid-state sensors can be either 
metal-oxide semiconductor or photo- 
diode. The basic structure of the CCD 
is that of an analog shift register con- 
sisting of a series of closely spaced 
capacitors. Charge integration by the 
capacitors provides the analog repre- 
sentation of light intensity. 

CCD sensors most commonly use 

[continued) 



164 BYTE- JANUARY 1986 



MICRO CAP and MICRO LOGIC 
put your engineers on line... 

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(408) 738-4387 Inquiry 335 



MACHINE VISION 



one of three addressing strategies: in- 
terline transfer, frame transfer, or 
column-row transfer. 

Interline Transfer 

The interline transfer CCD is orga- 
nized into column pairs of devices. An 



imaging column of photosensors is 
adjacent to an opaque vertical shift 
register (see figure 5). Charge ac- 
cumulates in the imaging column until 
the end of the integration period, 
when it is transferred to the opaque 
column. The signal then shifts vertical- 



-VERT1CAL SHIELDED 
CCD SHIFT REGISTERS 



■ PHOTOSENSITIVE 
CELLS 





I 


1 
1 




1 
1 




i: 
i 




_^ 1. 
T T 













H>~ 



HORIZONTAL CCD SHIFT REGISTER 



Figure 5: A diagram of an interline transfer CCD. 



-VERTICAL CCD SHIFT REGISTERS 



> IMAGE SECTION 



) STORAGE SECTION 



hs^ . SIGNAL 
l,? ■* OUTPUT 



HORIZONTAL CCD SHIFT REGISTER 



Figure 6: A diagram of a frame transfer CCD. 



ly into a horizontal shift register that 
represents the picture sequentially, 
line by line. Since the photosensor 
area is interspersed with image-insen- 
sitive shift registers, there is a grate 
pattern that can create undesirable in- 
terference called aliasing and moire 
effects (see the glossary on page 168). 
The advantage of the interline trans- 
fer is that the transfer time (to opaque 
storage) is short compared to the in- 
tegration period. This is desirable 
because when transfer time ap- 
proaches the integration time, solid- 
state sensors tend to exhibit a locally 
contained spreading of image re- 
sponse. Such spreading is called, ap- 
propriately enough, smear. Interline 
transfer minimizes smear. 

Frame Transfer 

In the frame transfer organization (see 
figure 6), the sensor consists of ver- 
tical columns of CCD shift registers 
divided into two zones. One zone, 
where charge accumulates during in- 
tegration time, is photosensitive. 
When integration is complete, the 
whole array is transferred in parallel 
to the opaque storage area of the sec- 
ond zone. Since the whole image 
zone is photosensitive, the frame 
transfer organization minimizes prob- 
lems with moire effects. Another ad- 
vantage of the frame transfer CCD is 
that it can transmit one image while 
acquiring another. This gives you the 
flexibility to vary the integration 
period without changing the readout 
time. 

Column-Row Transfer 

A third type of solid-state sensor 
employs x-y, or column-row, address- 
ing (figure 7) to transfer charge from 
the photosite to the output signal 
amplifier. The sensor elements are ad- 
dressed by selecting individual col- 
umn and row electrodes. Charge col- 
lected under the column electrode is 
transferred to the row electrode and 
amplified for output. 

Blooming 

One general difficulty with solid-state 
sensors is that they tend to exhibit 
"blooming," which is the cascading of 



166 BYTE • JANUARY 1986 



Inquiry 262 



MACHINE VISION 



COLUMN SELECT LOGIC 




INJECTION v /t\/4\ 
CONTROL ? K7X.T 



SIGNALS y- 



o 



ROW 
MUX 



mm 



COLUMN 
-< REF. 

POTENTIAL 



COLUMN 
MUX 



<> 



•<t> 



—® 



a—en o-nm <h-cd ikh 



COLUMN LOAD DEVICES 



ROW 
-^ ACCESS 
SIGNALS 



Figure 7: A diagram of a 4 by 4 CID matrix with column-row addressing. Based on 
a drawing from General Electric Technical Information GET 6803. Used with 
permission of GE. 



charge saturation from a few photo 
elements along paths of least resis- 
tance in the sensor array. The effect 
is bright streaks along a single axis or 
both axes, extending the full height of 
the sensor. Scenes containing objects 
with specular reflections at random 
orientations, where light saturation is 
difficult to control, are especially 
problematic. 

To effectively contain blooming, 
newer devices employ charge drains 
adjacent to the sensor cell to absorb 
the excess charge before it spreads to 
neighboring image elements. 

Spatial Resolution 

Whatever camera technology you use, 
you must concern yourself with the 
spatial resolution of the camera. 
There is considerable confusion 
among camera users as to what 
camera resolution means. It is often 
defined in terms of "TV lines." These 
units should not be confused with 
raster lines or the number of lines 
electronically scanned in the image. 
Lines of resolution correspond to the 
maximum number of alternating 



white and black lines per frame height 
or width that can be resolved by 
visual inspection. Often people will 
test resolution in both the horizontal 
and vertical axes by imaging a test 
pattern of converging black and white 
bars. 

It is desirable to have equal resolu- 
tion in both horizontal and vertical 
axes, but not all cameras do. In situa- 
tions common to robotics, where ob- 
jects may appear in the field of view 
at random orientations, you must 
assume that the camera resolution is 
the lower resolution of the two axes. 
Line resolution may also vary from 
region to region on the sensor sur- 
face, particularly on the peripheral 
areas of tube cameras. 

A less subjective measure of resolu- 
tion is the modulation transfer func- 
tion (MTF), which relates output signal 
amplitude to the light image created 
by a bar pattern of sinusoidal varia- 
tion in gray level. The function is nor- 
malized to 100 percent, where it levels 
off to a maximum for low spatial 
frequencies. 

{continued) 




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JANUARY I986 • BYTE 167 



MACHINE VISION 



A similar measure of resolution is 
the contrast transfer function (CTF). 
For this measure, we use a simple 
black-and-white "square wave" pattern 
rather than the sine wave modulated 
pattern. Resolution is specified as a 
percentage of response for a given 
number of TV lines. For example, 20 
percent response at 800 lines would 



be considered high resolution by to- 
day's standards. 

In solid-state cameras, resolution is 
limited by the number of photosites 
on the sensor, by the array geometry 
and by how much opaque material 
separates the photosites. Charge 
leakage adversely affects resolution, 
as does transfer inefficiency in the 



case of CCD cameras. 

Ttibe camera resolution is a function 
of the electron-beam diameter 
relative to the area of the photocon- 
ductive layer. 'IUbe camera resolution 
is generally higher than that of solid- 
state cameras and easily outstrips the 
limitations imposed by the RS-170 

{continued) 



A Video Glossary 



Aliasing: The kind of misrepresenta- 
tion that results from pixel density be- 
ing too low to represent the spatial fre- 
quencies in an image. 

Blooming: A phenomenon whereby 
streaks fan out in the image around an 
area of intense illumination. Blooming 
occurs when excess charge in the sen- 
sor cell overflows into neighboring 
CCD registers. This can be suppressed 
by introducing overflow drains under 
or adjacent to the photosensitive area. 

Candela: Intensity of a point source 
that generates one lumen per steradian 
(unit solid angle). Also called candle 
power. Abbreviated cd. 

CCD: Charge-coupled device. A 
monolithic silicon structure in which 
discrete packets of charge are trans- 
ported from position to position by se- 
quential clocking of an array of gates. 

CC1R: Consultative Committee. Interna- 
tional Radio. International standard for 
composite monochrome video signals. 

Chrominance: Indicates the hue and 
saturation of a color or the color infor- 
mation without the brightness. 

C1D: Charge injection device. 

CPD: Charge priming device. 

CTF: Contrast transfer function. Similar 
to MTF but uses a black-and-white test 
pattern. 

Definition: Number of sensor cells 
per line/column. 

Dynamic range: Ratio of the output 
voltage at saturation and RMS noise in 
darkness. 



Exposure: Result of illumination over 
a given integration time. 

Gamma (7): A numerical value repre- 
senting the exponent in a function that 
relates illumination to response. A 
gamma of 1 yields a linear response. 
A gamma of more than 1 results in a 
greater slope for bright illumination, 
and a gamma of less than 1 results in 
a greater slope for low illumination. 

Integration time: Time allowed for 
light impingement on a given sensor 
cell. 

Lag: Persistence of image charge over 
subsequent frames. 

Lumen: The amount of luminous flux 
on a 1 -square-foot area of a 1-foot 
radius sphere cast by a 1-cd light 
source at the center. 

Luminance: Indicates the light inten- 
sity without the color. 

Luminous flux: Luminous power per 
unit area. 

Marking: Regional degradation of an 
electron tube from excessive exposure. 

Moire effect: Interference between 
the spatial frequency of the sensor 
structure and spatial frequencies in the 
image. 

MTF: Modulation transfer function. 
The signal output of the sensor in 
response to a standard test pattern 
consisting of sinusoidal variations in 
gray-level density over a range of 
frequencies. 

NTSC: National Television Systems 
Committee. A standard observed by 
the U.S.A.. Canada. Japan, and most 
countries in the Western Hemisphere. 



Nyquist limit: Upper limit of spatial 
resolution based on the spatial fre- 
quency of the placement of sensor 
elements. 

PAL: Phase Alternation Line. A system 
in which the subcarrier phase is in- 
verted from one raster line to the next. 
A standard observed by most Euro- 
pean countries. 

Pixel: Picture element or sensor ele- 
ment or photosite. 

Pixel blemish: A pixel is blemished if 
it has a response not within an accept- 
able percentage of the average. 

Resolution: Number of image lines 
per frame height with a contrast above 
or equal to 50 percent. 

Response: Amplitude of output 
voltage per unit of light exposure. 

Response nonuniformity: Difference 
in response between the most and 
least sensitive regions of the sensor 
under uniform illumination, expressed 
as a percentage of the average. 

Saturation: Maximum amount of 
charge stored by a given sensor cell. 

Saturation voltage: Maximum output 
voltage for sensor saturation. 

SECAM: Systeme Electronique Couleur 
Avec Memoire. A standard observed 
by France and most Eastern bloc 
countries. 

Sensitivity: Minimum illumination re- 
quired to generate a usable signal. 

Spectral range: Portion of the light 
spectrum over which the sensor has a 
response above 10 percent of the 
peak-to-peak voltage. 



168 BYTE • JANUARY 1986 



Using an S100 Bus? 
More Power to You, from Lomas. 



For most S 100 Bus users; the most sensible 
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a_j f_r i .! i i . i. ! 

L Ll I ! ! ! ! 

O rui, } \ i l J 

Ql J A !.... 1 ...... I ...I 



i I i i s r _-r rrr-...- 

I ! ! I" ! I % \ \ \ \ 
! I 1 ! 1^1 \ \ 






MACHINE VISION 



T^ble 1 : Commercially ava 
Vendor 


liable cameras and their features. 
Camera Sensor Resolution 


MTF 


Minimum 
Illumination 


Signal/ 
Noise 


Pixel Size 


Gamma 


Circon 

749 Ward Dr. 

Santa Barbara, CA 93111 

(805) 967-0404 


MV.9015-H 


MOS array 
648 (H) x 
485 (V) 


480 lines 
(H), 330 
lines (V) 




20 lux 
with f1.6 
lens 


42 dB 


- 


1.0 or 0.45 
selectable 


Cohu Inc. 

Electronics Division 
5755 Kearny Villa Rd. 
POB 85623 

San Diego, CA 92138-5623 
(619) 277-6700 


Model 
4600 


Interline 
transfer 
CCD 384 
(H) x 490 
(V) 


285 lines 
(H), 480 
lines (V) 






50 dB 


. * 


0.45 or 1.0 
selectable 


Cohu Inc. 

Electronics Division 
5755 Kearny Villa Rd. 
POB 85623 

San Diego, CA 92138-5623 
(619) 277-6700 


Model 
5402 


Vidicon 

E5405 

(Chalnicon 

E5415 

option) 


Center 
900 lines 
(H), corner 
600 (H) 




1 lux 


54 dB 


NA 


0.5 to 1.0 
adjustable 


EG&G Reticon 

345 Potrero Ave. 
Sunnyvale, CA 94086-9930 
(408) 738-4266 


MC9256 


MOS 

photodiode 
array 256 
x 256 








60 dB 


- 




Fairchild CCD Imaging 

3440 Hillview Ave. 
Palo Alto, CA 94304 
(415) 493-8001 


CCD3000 


Interline 
transfer 
CCD 380 
(H) x 488 
(V) 


285 lines 
(H), 488 
lines (V) 


50% 
(CTF) at 
488 lines 
(V) 


20 lux 
with f1.4 
lens 


50 dB 




1.0 


Fairchild CCD Imaging 

CCD 

3440 Hillview Ave 

Palo Alto, CA 94304 

(415) 493-8001 


CCD 4001 


Interline 
transfer 
CCD 256 
(H) x 256 
(V) 










■ 




General Electric 
890 7th North St. 
Liverpool, NY 13088 
(315) 456-2832 


TN 2509 


CID 260 
(H) x 253 
(V) 




80% at 
limiting 
resolution 




50 dB at 
saturation 


28 x 28 


1.0 


Hitachi Denshi America Ltd. 
175 Crossways Park West 
Woodbury, NY 11797 
(516) 921-7200 


KP-120 


MOS array 
320 (H) x 
244 (V) 


240 lines 
(H), 190 
lines (V) 




5 lux with 
f 1.4 lens 


49 dB 






Imagerie, Industrie, Systeme 

(I2S) 
239 rue du Jardin-Public 
33300 Bordeaux, France 
(56) 29-10-03 


IS 400 


Frame 
transfer 
CCD 384 
(H) x 576 
(V) 






3 lux 


68 dB 


23 x23 


1.0 



170 BYTE • JANUARY 1986 



MACHINE VISION 



Response 
Uniformity 


Geometric 
Distortion 


Output 
Signal 


Weight 


Power 
Consumption 






RS-170 


170 g 

(camera 

head) 


10 W 






RS-170 


511 g 


5.5 W 




0.5% 


RS-170, 
CCIR 


450 g 

(camera 

head) 


24 W 


± 10% at 
saturation 




Clock rate 
525 kHz to 
8 MHz at 
±1V or 
RS-170 with 
MB9000data 
formatter 


340 g 


5W 






RS-170 


1 kg 








RS-170 


1 kg 








RS-170 


383 g 


2.5 W 






RS-170 


400 g 


5W 


±5% 




RS-170, 

rrio 







CCIR 

6-bit 

digital 



standard in the vertical axis. 

One point that complicates evaluat- 
ing resolution is that the host com- 
puter may digitize the output signal 
at a rate inconsistent with camera 
resolution. 

Noteworthy Cameras 

"feble I lists a selection of commer- 
cially available cameras. As anyone 
who has worked from manufacturers' 
specification sheets knows, however, 
the information provided by one 
manufacturer is not always readily 
comparable to the information pro- 
vided by another manufacturer. 
Therefore, to help you evaluate the 
different cameras, I want to mention 
some aspects of particular cameras 
that we at Analog Devices have found 
particularly desirable for machine 
vision. 

The GE cameras use a proprietary 
charge injection device (CID) sensor 
that contains an array of column-row 
addressed MOS sensor cells. The 
camera can be applied effectively 
with strobe lighting to capture tran- 
sient events like moving objects. You 
can inhibit normal destructive readout 
of the camera's sensor until the event 
occurs, when light from the strobe 
generates the signal charge. Releasing 
the inhibit signal allows you to read 
out the signal. Another application of 
the inhibit feature is to extend the in- 
tegration period of the sensor longer 
than the normal 50 or 60 Hz standard 
frame time. Extended integration 
allows you to accumulate more 
charge where scene lighting is low. 
With a format of 260 horizontal by 
2 53 vertical pixels, the TN2 509 
camera has a symmetric aspect ratio 
and linear response. 

For high resolution in a solid-state 
camera, VSP labs has the SC500 with 
604 horizontal by 576 vertical photo 
elements. The sensor is a CCD array 
with high sensitivity in the blue region 
and a 1:1 aspect ratio. 

ITM Corporation's Model 5000 
Datavision has excellent response 
linearity and a typical spatial uniform- 
ity (response nonuniformity) of about 
4 percent. The Model 5000 features 

{continued) 



JANUARY 1986 'BYTE 171 



MACHINE VISION 



Vendor 


Camera 


Sensor 


Resolution 


MTF 


Minimum 
Illumination 


Signal/ 
Noise 


Pixel Size 


Gamma 


Image Technology Methods 

Corp. 
103 Moody St. 
Waltham, MA 02154 
(617) 894-1720 


Model 

5000 

Datavision 


CCD 384 
(H) x 491 
(V) 


280 lines 
(H), 350 
lines (V) 




3 lux with 
f1.4 lens, 
without IR 
filter 


45 dB 


23 (H) x 
13.4 (V) 
/zm 


1.0 


Javelin Electronics 

19831 Magellan Dr. 
Torrance, CA 90502 
(213) 327-7440 


JE-2062 


MOS array 
384 (H) x 
485 (V) 


500 lines 
(H) 




30 lux 

with f1.4 
lens 


43 dB 




0.45 


Panasonic Industrial Co. 
One Panasonic Way 
Secaucus, NJ 07094 
(201) 348-7000 


WV-CD10 


CPD 404 
(H) x 256 
(V) 


280 lines 
(H), 190 
lines (V) 




10 lux 
with f1.4 
lens, IR 
filter 


46 dB 






Physitec Corp. 
206 Main St. 
Norfolk, MA 02056 
(617) 528-4100 


43-0031 


Frame 
transfer 
CCD 604 
(H) x 575 (V) 






0.1 lux 




10 (H) x 
15.6 (V) 
/zm 




PULNiX America Inc. 
453-F Ravendale Dr. 
Mountain View, CA 94043 
(415) 964-0955 


TM-34K 


Interline 
transfer 
CCD 384 
(H)x491(V) 


280 lines 
(H), 350 
lines (V) 




3 lux with 
fl.4 lens 


45 dB 


23 (H) x 
13.4 (V) 
iim 




RCA 

Closed Circuit Video 

Equipment 
New Holland Ave 
Lancaster, PA 17604 
(717) 397-7661 


TC2900 


CCD 403 
(H) x 512 
(V) 




50% at 
200 lines 
(H) 


0.025 lux 


52 dB 




0.5 to 1.0 
adjustable 


Sanyo 

Industrial Video Division 
1200 W. Artesia Blvd. 
Compton, CA 90220 
(213) 537-5830 


VDC3800 


Frame 
transfer 
CCD 572 
(H) x 485 
(V) 


420 lines 
(H), 400 
lines (V) 




2 lux with 
f1.4 lens 


46 dB 






Sierra Scientific Corp. 
2189 Leghorn St. 
Mountain View, CA 94043 
(415) 969-9315 


DAV-26 


Plumbicon 
(other 
tubes 
available) 


1000 lines 
(H), 700 
lines (V) 


20% at 
1000 
lines (H) 


3 lux 


36 dB 
typical 


NA 




Sony Component Products 

Division 
15 Essex Rd. 
Paramus, NJ 07652 
(201) 368-5001 


XC-38 


Interline 
transfer 
CCD 384 
(H) x 491 
(V) 






3 lux with 
f1.4 lens, 
without IR 
filter 


46 dB 


23 (H) x 
28 (V) iim 




Video Logic Corp. 
597 North Mathilda Ave. 
Sunnyvale, CA 94086 
(408) 245-8622 


CDR-460 


Interline 
transfer 
CCD 384 
(H) x 491 (V) 


250 lines 
(H), 350 
lines (V) 




3 lux 


46 dB 


23 (H) x 
13.4 (V) 
/zm 




VSP Labs Inc. 
670 Airport Blvd. 
Ann Arbor, Ml 48104 
(313) 769-5522 


SC500 


Frame 
transfer 
CCD 604 
(H) x 576 (V) 


400 lines 
(H), 400 
lines (V) 


70% at 
400 lines 


20 lux 
with f1.4 
lens 


30 dB 


10 x 15.6 
tim 


1.0 or 0.6 
option 



172 BYTE • JANUARY 1986 



MACHINE VISION 



Response 
Uniformity 


Geometric 
Distortion 


Output 
Signal 


Weight 


Power 
Consumption 


- 


4% typical 




RS-170, 

8-bit 

digital 


1.36 kg 








RS-170, 
CCIR 


300 g 


2 W 






RS-170 

: 


600 g 


6.8 W 






CCIR 


















RS-170 


122 g 






RS-170 


900 g 


7,2 W 






RS-170 




5 W 


10% peak- 


1,0% 


RS-170 


5.9 kg 


100 W 



to-peak 



RS-170 



115 g 



2.3 W 



RS-170 545 g 



RS-170 1 kg 



standard RS-170 output with an op- 
tional 8-bit digital output at 7 MHz. 
Another notable camera for robot 
vision is the 12S 1S400. The sensor is 
a 384 horizontal by 574 vertical frame 
transfer CCD array with symmetric 
photo elements. Output options in- 
clude RS-l 70, CCIR, or 6-bit digitized 
data at TTL levels. The outstanding 
feature of the IS400 is the Monoshot, 
or image-gating, mode. Monoshot 
allows the host to trigger the start of 
charge integration and control the 
time period of charge integration. 
With integration periods possible 
from 3 to 100 milliseconds, you can 
use the camera to capture moving ob- 
jects under good lighting conditions 
or to image static scenes under poor 
illumination. 

Expectations 

We are reaching the performance 
limitations of RS-170 and CCIR stan- 
dards as sensor resolution improves. 
With the price of flash converters 
coming down, it would make sense to 
design cameras for machine vision 
with the converter in the camera— as 
close to the sensor as possible— to 
minimize signal noise and degrada- 
tion. A multidrop bus with camera 
select and handshake would enable 
the host computer to select one of 
several cameras on the bus and send 
commands. Data would be received 
as a serial byte stream. Useful com- 
mands might include window coor- 
dinates where only a subregion of the 
scene is of interest, programmable 
gain, subsarnpling rate, or variable in- 
tegration time. 

Feature and distance gauging re- 
quires that pixel cells be symmetrical 
in both horizontal and vertical axes, 
and most sensor manufacturers rec- 
ognize this. Sensitivity, dynamic range, 
and uniformity are improving as 
weight, power consumption, and 
package size decrease. 

In the future, we hope to have the 
ability to perform pixel processing at 
the sensor level. Operations like edge 
enhancement or even object detec- 
tion couid be performed before the 
data is passed to the host, thus lower- 
ing traffic on the bus. ■ 



JANUARY 1986 -BYTE 173 



Our professionals 



If you seriously shop around for the 
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PROGRESSIVE MICRO 
DISTRIBUTORS' professional. If you 
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To receive your current price list 
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©1985 AT*T Information Systems. 

IBM is a registered trademark of the International Business Machines Corp. 



174 BYTE • JANUARY 1986 



make us Progressive. 



PC SYSTEMS 



AT&T PC 6300 

640K, 2 drives, monochrome monitor/adapter, 

DOS/BASIC $1998 

640K, 2 drives, color monitor/adapter, DOS/BASIC 88498 

640K, 1 drive, 10MB hard disk, DOS/BASIC 82898 

AT&T PC 6300 PLUS 

25% faster than IBM's AT CALL FOB BEST PBICK. 

IBM PC 

256K, 2 drives, monochrome/printer adapter 

GPmonitor 82198 

256K, 2 drives, color/graphics adapter 6? monitor 82498 

256K, 2 drives, 10MB internal hard disk 82398 

IBM PC XT 

256K, 2 drives, monochrome/printer adapter 

& monitor 82298 

256K, 2 drives, color/graphics adapter £? monitor 82898 

256K, 2 drives, 10MB internal hard disk . 82898 

256K, 2 drives, 20MB internal hard disk 82898 

IBM PC COMPATIBLE 

256K, 2 drives, 8 slots, 135w power supply 8998 

256K, 1 drive, 10MB, 8 slots, 135w power supply 81898 
These systems are brand new, shippedfully tested and 
burned in, fully warranteed for ninety days AND ARE 
ALWAYS IN STOCK! All system orders include our 
PC Utilities Package at no extra charge! 



PRINTERS 



EPSON 

FX-85 ( 160 cps narrow carriage NLQ dot matrix) 8389 
FX-185 ( 160 cps wide carriage NLQ dot matrix). . . 8809 
LX-80 ( 100 cps narrow carriage NLQ dot matrix) 8249 
JX-80 ( 160 cps narrow carriage color dot matrix) 8828 

LQ-1500 (LQ dot matrix w/parallel interface) 8998 

DX-10, 20, 35 (new EPSON daisywheels) . . OH SPECIAL! 

OKIIIATA 

ML 192 ( 160 cps narrow carriage dot matrix) .... 8399 

ML 193 ( 160 cps wide carriage dot matrix) 8839 

PACEMARK 2410 (350 cps wide carriage 

dotmatrix) 81998 

CANON 

LBP-8A1 (8 ppm, better than HP) 82198 

PW-1080A ( 160 cps dot matrix) 8329 

PJ-1080A (32 cps color printer) 8849 

TOSHIBA 

P-351 (192 cps wide carriage LQ dot matrix) 81098 

P- 1340 ( 120 cps narrow carriage LQ dot matrix) . . 8898 

TEXAS INSTRUMENTS 

Tl-855 (150 cps narrow carriage LQ dot matrix) GALL 

BROTHER 

HR-15+ (17 cps narrow carriage letter quality) . . 8398 

HR-25 (23 cps wide carriage letter quality) 8880 

HR-35 (32 cps wide carriage letter quality) 8798 

M- 1509 ( 180 cps, wide carriage NLQ, S£PP 

Dot Matrix) CALL 

C. ITOH 

Starwriter (40 cps letter quality) 8898 

Printmaster (55 cps letter quality) 81198 

NEC 

Pinwriter P-2 6? P-3 CALL 

Spinwriter 2050, 3550, 8850 CALL 

Ask about our full line of tractors and cut sheet feeders! 



PLOTTERS 



We carry all HOUSTON INSTRUMENTS and HEWLETT- 
PACKARD plotters 

FLOPPY DISK DRIVES 

HALF-HEIGHT 360K (PC/XT/AT compatible) 8119 

HALF-HEIGHT 1.2MB (PC/XT/AT compatible) ..... 8139 

MISC. HARDWARE 

POIAROID Palette (Makes color slides from your PC's 

screen) 81398 

ORCHID PC Turbo ( adds 8MHz processor, multitasking to 

PC) from 8649 

KEYTRONIC KB 5 1 5 1 6? 5 1 53 keyboards. . CALL 

MOUSE SYSTEMS Optical PC MOUSE w/PAINT 8188 

MICROSOFT Serial or Bus mouse w/Mouse Menu) . 8188 

GIS Power Back-ups (SPS* and UPS') CALL 

QUADRAM Microfazer Printer Buffer from $138 

CURTIS System accessories CALL 



HARD DISK DRIVES 

Internal AT 105MB * 899B 

PC/XT 10MB . . . from 8429 AT 140MB $339B 

AT 20MB 8698 AT 190MB 8439B 

pc/xt 20MB 8848 External 

AT 30MB 8898 PC/XT 10MB 8698 

PC/XT 30MB. ........ 8998 PC/XT 20MB 8948 

AT 85MB 81998 380MB 86998 

We proudly offer what we think are the best 
price/performance hard disk and streaming tape 
sub-systems available. We will gladly test and format 
any hard disk we sell at a nominal charge. Our line 
includes: ALLOY, BERNOULLI TECHNOLOGY, CIPHER 
DATA, DMA, EMERALD SYSTEMS, EPSON, GENOA, 
IRWIN, MAXTOR, PEACHTREE TECHNOLOGIES, 
PRIAM, QUADRAM, RODIME, SYSGEN, TALLGRASS, 
TULIN and WANGTEK 

MULTIFUNCTION 
BOARDS 

We carry the finest quality multifunction boards at 
prices too low to mention. We are factory authorized 
centers for the top names in the industry. Our volume 
buying allows us to set the most competitive prices 
anywhere. Call us for the lowest prices a full service 
distributor can give you. 



MODEMS 



CHIPS 



64K (nine chips) 810 128K (AT RAM) 838 

8087 (coprocessor). . 8129 256K (Jr & AT boards) 838 
80287 (coprocessor) 8199 

CALL FOR QUANTITY DISCOUNTS 

GRAPHICS CARDS 

We carry a variety of display adapters. So, call us if you 
don't see the one you want or need help choosing. 
GENOA 

Spectrum ( High res color £? Mono ) 8299 

ATfrT 

Enhanced Display Adapter (runs 640x400 w/ a palette of 

16,000 colors on AT&T's Hi Res color monitor . . . CALL 

HERCULES 

Graphics Card (Lotus compatible monochrome 

graphics ) 8329 

Color Graphics Card (Short-slot color card w/par) 8179 

PARADISE 

Modular Graphics Card £P Multi-Display Card from 8299 

TECMAR 

Graphics Master (640x400 16 colors and 

nomographics ) 8489 

PERSYST 

BoB Board (clear text on a color monitor) 8489 

TSENG LABS 

UltraPAK ( 132 col. mono graphics, ser, par, C/C). , . 8439 



MONITORS 



AMDEK 

300G & 300A (Green or Amber, 

composite video monitors) 8129/8139 

310A (Amber TTL input, non-glare tube) 8169 

COLOR 600 ( 13" 640x240 RGB w/text button, audio ) 8426 

COLOR 700 (13" 720x480 RGB w/.31mm dot) 8478 

COLOR 710 ( 13" 720x480 RGB, non-glare,/flicker) 8878 

PRINCETON GRAPHICS 

PGS MAX- 12 (Amber TTL input, non-glare tube) . . 8189 

PGS HX-12 (690x480 RGB w/.31mm dot) 8449 

PGS SR-12 (690x480 non-interlaced RGB w/ .31 dot) 8898 
QUADRAM 

Amberchrome (Amber TTL monochrome) 8149 

Quadchrome (690x480, .31mm dot pitch) 8489 

Quadchrome II (same as IBM Color Monitor) 8389 

TAXAN 

New 600 Series high res color monitor CALL 

We carry WYSE and KIMTRON terminals, call for prices. 

PROTOCOL CONVERSION 

We carry all AST and DCA products, call for prices. 



HAYES 

Hayes 1200 (external 300/1200, auto answer/dial) . . 8419 
Hayes 1200B (internal 300/1200, w/Smartcom II) . . 8379 

Hayes 2400 (New external 2400 baud modem) 8678 

DCA 

New Fastlink 10KB modem from 81898 

ANCHOR AUTOMATION 

Signalman Mark XII ( 1200 baud at 300 baud price) 8289 
We also carry modems by AST RESEARCH, BIZCOMP, 
PENRIL, QUADRAM, RIXON, VENTEL — please call for 
current pricing. 



NETWORKING 



We carry aJl the best names including 3COM, AST 
RESEARCH, FOX, IBM, and ORCHID TECHNOLOGIES. Call 
our Networking Applications experts to design a cost- 
effective device-sharing networked layout for your office! 
Regional ON-SITE installation and training available. 



C.A.D. 



We sell and support the finest computer aided drafting/ 
design packages available. Regional ON-SITE installation 
and training available. 



DISKETTES 



VERBATIM 






Single sided/Single density: 


... 10/824 


100/8199 


Double sided/Double density: . . . 


. . . 10/829 


100/8249 


DYSAN 






Double sided/Double density: . . . 


. . . 10/829 


100/8249 




10/889 


100/8849 


MAXELL 








10/889 


100/8849 


PMD 






Double sided/Double density .... 


.... 10/818 


100/8129 


SOFTWARE 








Inquiry 292 



LOTUSSymphony 8449 

MICROSOFT Excel CALL 

ASHTON-TATE Framework II 8399 

ENABLE by Software Group CALL 

PFS Write, File, Graph, Report from 879 

SSI WordPerfect 4.1 8239 

MULTIMATE, Multimate ADVANTAGE, JUST Write. . CALL 

MICROSOFT Word 4.0 ... , 8239 

LIFETREE Volkswriter Deluxe w/Textmerge 8169 

LOTUS 1-2-3 8309 

ASHTON-TATE dBase III 8399 

MICRORIM R-BASE 5000 8389 

MICROSTUF Crosstalk XVI 8109 

PERSOFr SmarTerm 100, 125, 400 CALL 

RELAY CALL 

DOW JONES All products CALL 

SORCIM/IUS Complete accounting modules . . , . from 8289 
BPI ACCOUNTING Complete accounting modules . . . CALL 

OPEN SYSTEMS Accounting CALL 

SYSTEMS PLUS Books! accounting system CALL 

MECA/TOBIAS Managing Your Money 8129 

MONOGRAM Dollars and Sense 8119 

DECISION RESOURCES Signjnaster/Chartmaster8l79/8249 

ZSOFT PC Paint Brush 898 

HARVARD Harvard Project Manager CALL 

MICROSOFITroject CALL 

CLIPPER dBase compiler by Nantucket CALL 

BORLAND Turbo Pascal & Toolbox ea. 839 

MICROSOFT All products CALL 

DIGITAL RESEARCH All products CALL 

BORLAND All products from 839 

SOFrSTYLE Printworks printer utilities 838 

NORTONUtilities $89 

QUAID Copywrite, Disk Explorer & Zero Disk CALL 

CENTRAL POINT Copy II PC 838 

FASTBACKby 5th Generation 8118 

ATITraining 888 



PROGRESSIVE 
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^DISTRIBUTORS 

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Our European friends may ; —« We 
our Amsterdam Distnbu ion Ce nte, , { af 

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ng our $10.00 of f and PRl , F P n erhaf ? s . think - 
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Unlimited 

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Open 
Systems 


Great 
Plains 


Peachtree 
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State of 
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Realworld 
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Accounts Payable '299 


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'389 


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'479 


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ROBOTICS 



ROBOTIC 

TACTILE SENSING 



by Kirk E. Pennywitt 



Coming to grips with tactile sensors 



TODAY'S INDUSTRIAL ROBOTS per- 
form a variety of tasks, and robotic ap- 
plications are steadily increasing. 
Nevertheless, robots currently in use 
are quite primitive; at best, they 
possess only a rudimentary aware- 
ness of their surroundings. As a result, 
they are generally limited to perform- 
ing precisely defined tasks in a highly 
structured environment. 

The controlled environment of a fac- 
tory floor is considerably different 
from the unstructured and complex 
world in which most humans live arid 
work. The robots of the future should 
be able to adapt to any work environ- 
ment because it is often not practical 
to adapt the environment to them. 
Robots of the future should also be 
able to work with the same tools and 
equipment— conventional wrenches, 
hammers, pliers, screwdrivers, and so 
on— that human workers use. For 
robots to achieve these goals and at- 
tain more widespread use, they must 
be equipped with more sophisticated 
sensory capabilities that resemble 
those of a human. 

Of the five human senses, only vi- 
sion and touch are really required for 
a successful and adaptable robot. (Al- 
though hearing could be useful for 



the reception of oral commands by a 
robot, it is not a truly necessary capa- 
bility. The use of ultrasonic ranging 
techniques has been investigated for 
proximity sensing, but interference 
from the loud noises common in an 
industrial environment remains an 
obstacle.) 

Vision and Touch 

The capabilities of vision and touch 
are generally seen as complementary 
for most future robotic applications. 
Vision is obviously important for ob- 
ject identification and obstacle 
avoidance. It is considered a pre- 
requisite process for locating, posi- 
tioning, and identifying objects and 
also as a proximity sensor for the 
robot hand or end effector. Touch, or 
tactile sensing, then takes over for 
subsequent manipulations in which 
force, pressure, and compliance are 
important factors. 

For many applications, the sense of 
touch is often considered more im- 
portant than vision during manipula- 
tion. A robot must be able to judge 
when contact is made with an object 
and know how much force is being 
exerted upon that object. 

A robot should also be able to 



determine when slip is beginning to 
occur and when the object is posi- 
tioned properly in its intended loca- 
tion. In the past, greater attention has 
been devoted to visual sensing, but 
robotic touch is now beginning to at- 
tract more attention. 

In this article I will provide an over- 
view of robotic touch sensing, some 
of its problems, and some of the more 
promising approaches. 

Tactile Sensing 

In robotic applications, we are con- 
cerned with tactile sensing, or taction, 
rather than simple touch. The term 
taction was coined by the late Pro- 
fessor Leon D. Harmon of Case 
Western Reserve University, one of the 
pioneers of tactile-sensing research. 
Ikctile sensing is defined as the con- 
tinuous sensing of variable contact 
forces, commonly by an array of sen- 
sors. This sensing should be capable 

[continued] 
Kirk E. Pennywitt is a research engineer at 
Georgia Tech Research Institute (Electronics 
and Computer Systems Lab, Command and 
Control Division, Atlanta, GA 30332). He 
works in the areas of computer-based decision 
support systems, videodisc and computer- 
graphic software, and robotic tactile sensing. 



JANUARY 1986 -BYTE 177 



TACTILE SENSING 



of being performed within an ar- 
bitrary three-dimensional space. This 
distinguishes taction from touch, or 
binary sensing, which is simple con- 
tact or force sensing at a single point, 
l^ctile sensing generally refers to 
skinlike properties where areas of 
force-sensitive and displacement-sen- 
sitive surfaces are capable of report- 



ing graded signals and parallel pat- 
terns of touching. 

l^ctile sensing may be viewed as a 
two-step process: (1) transduction and 
(2) data processing. Transduction oc- 
curs when the features of an object 
being examined are converted into 
signals of some form, as in the case 
of the translation of forces into elec- 



trical impulses. Data processing then 
interprets these signals to obtain 
useful information about the features 
of interest. 

Since it is often stated that a robotic 
tactile sensor should have capabilities 
similar to that of human touch sens- 
ing, we should briefly examine human 
tactile perception. 




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Kinesthesia versus 
Cutaneous Responses 

Human tactile perception consists of 
two separate and distinct com- 
ponents: cutaneous and kinesthetic 
responses. The cutaneous response 
conveys touch, force, slip, and tem- 
perature information via the sensitive 
nerve arrays on the fingertips. This 
type of capability is what is usually 
thought of when considering robotic 
tactile sensing. 

The kinesthetic response plays a 
very significant role in the sense of 
touch. Kinesthesia is the sensing of 
limb and joint position. It includes 
both afferent incoming signals 
developed at muscles and joints and 
efferent outgoing signals that are motor 
muscle action commands. 

The combined cutaneous and kin- 
esthetic senses are sometimes re- 
ferred to as haptic perception. 
Together, cutaneous and kinesthetic 
stimulation allow a person to perceive 
objects of three dimensions and 
events in three-dimensional space. 

Cutaneous sensations provide the 
perception of texture and details of 
shape. Kinesthesia allows the detec- 
tion of larger contours and enables a 
person to control exploratory move- 
ments. Cutaneous stimulation and kin- 
esthesia must work together for an 
organism (or robot) to be able to ac- 
tively explore and perceive its tactile 
environment. Current research in 
robotic taction focuses almost ex- 
clusively on the cutaneous aspects of 
touch. Since a satisfactory approach 
to the development of a cutaneous- 
like sensor has yet to be achieved, it 
is perhaps premature to be overly 
concerned with the lack of attention 
devoted to the kinesthetic aspects of 
touch sensing. However, it is impor- 

[continued) 



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JANUARY 1986 -BYTE 179 



TACTILE SENSING 



tant to realize that both of these com- 
ponents should be integrated to 
develop a successful robotic tactile 
sensor. 

Cutaneous sensations are conveyed 
by the skin. The skin's structure, sen- 
sitivity, and density of nerve-sensing 
sites vary considerably over the ex- 
tent of the human body. Within the 
hand, the sensitivity may vary by an 
order of magnitude from the palm to 
the fingertip. The properties and sen- 
sory capabilities of fingertip skin most 
closely resemble those desired for 
robotic tactile sensors. 

Tactile Resolution 

Estimates of the spatial resolution of 
the fingertips vary from 0.8 to about 
3 millimeters. The coarser estimates 
are based on two-point threshold 
tests, where two sharp points are 
pressed against the skin and the 
minimum separation distance re- 



quired to determine that two points 
are being applied is measured. With 
this method, estimates of spatial 
resolution range from 2 to 3 mm. 

Other methods of determining res- 
olution include detecting gaps in a 
surface applied to the finger, deter- 
mining the orientation of a fine 
grating, and identifying the forms of 
alphabetic characters. The last three 
methods yield resolution estimates 
closer to 0.8 mm. The higher resolu- 
tions obtained in these latter ex- 
amples seems to indicate that when 
larger touch areas are involved, addi- 
tional information is obtained that 
allows finer perceptions. 

l&ctile acuity is more than just a 
function of the sensory unit density. 
It also depends on the relative por- 
tion of the brain devoted to tactile 
representations and on the structure 
of the skin itself. It has been demon- 
strated that the brain region devoted 



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to tactile processing can change and 
in turn alter tactile acuity. 

Experiments on monkeys show that 
upon loss of a finger, the brain region 
devoted to the remaining fingers 
grows to include the region previous- 
ly devoted to the amputated finger. 
The tactile acuity for the remaining 
fingers improves substantially More- 
over, the role of any individual nerve 
cell is believed unimportant; rather, 
networks of thousands of cells pro- 
vide tactile response. 

In addition, the structure of finger- 
tip skin, particularly the papillary 
ridges (the raised ridges on the finger- 
tips that produce fingerprints), may 
contribute to tactile perception. Dur- 
ing fine movements of the fingers, the 
ridges create vibratory effects that 
propagate through the various skin 
layers, adding to tactile pattern 
recognition. These phenomena il- 
lustrate that the data-processing 
aspects of tactile sensing should be 
considered at least as important as 
the transduction concerns. 

Tactile Sensing 
versus Vision 

l&ctile sensing is analogous to visual 
sensing in many respects. Both sam- 
ple continuous signals over a two- or 
three-dimensional space and share a 
common model of the outside world. 
Both must employ pattern-recognition 
techniques to interpret the spatially 
sampled pattern representations of 
their environment. These similarities 
may allow tactile sensing to derive 
benefits from the considerably 
greater effort that has already been 
devoted to visual sensing. 

However, taction has many advan- 
tages over vision for physical manip- 
ulation tasks, which, of course, include 
almost all commercial and industrial 
applications. With taction, the physical 
properties being directly measured 
are those we are most interested in— 
object position, shape, texture, sur- 
face detail, and so on. Vision can infer 
these properties only indirectly by 
deducing them from optical prop- 
erties (shading, projection, reflectivi- 
ty, etc.). 

[continued) 



180 BYTE • JANUARY 1986 



Inquiry 161 



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Inquiry 338 



JANUARY 1986 -BYTE 181 



TACTILE SENSING 



The collection of tactile data is more 
readily controlled because the sensor 
is generally in actual physical contact 
with the object being examined. This 
eliminates potential problems involv- 
ing uneven illumination, confusing 
background image information, or 
camera point-of-view constraints. 
There is also potentially less data to 
analyze in a tactile versus a visual rep- 
resentation. A tactile sensor is ob- 
viously ideal for pressure, slip, and 
incipient-slip detection as well. 

On the other hand, tactile sensing 
involves several unique problems. 
With vision, the three-dimensional 
reconstruction of the object (based on 
the two-dimensional camera image) 
may be done by a powerful central 
processor that is remote from the 
sensor. 

For taction to be useful, you must 
be able to actively manipulate and ex- 
plore the object being examined. This 



requires not only the transduction to 
be performed at the object site but 
a large amount of real-time data pro- 
cessing to be performed there as well. 
Because a visual sensor is remote 
from the subject at all times, it faces 
only moderate constraints on physical 
size and placement. However, a tac- 
tile sensor is normally an integral 
component of a robot end effector 
and thus must conform to strict size 
and shape constraints. In addition, the 
sensor itself must be capable of resist- 
ing abrasion, heat, and chemicals 
present in the industrial environment. 

Requirements of a Tactile 
Sensor 

The exact requirements of a particular 
tactile sensor depend on its specific ap- 
plication. However, there is a consen- 
sus among actual and potential robot 
users on the capabilities a general- 
purpose tactile sensor should possess. 



The most commonly stated require- 
ment is that the sensor be skinlike. It 
should exhibit high sensitivity, fast 
response time, continuously variable 
signal output, and low power con- 
sumption. It should also be cheap and 
durable. 

The ideal end effector should be 
handlike. Touch, force, pattern, slip, 
and movement detection should all 
occur in one device. Forces trans- 
ferred to the support structure should 
be used for analyzing larger signals 
(kinesthetic versus cutaneous sens- 
ing). Finally, the hand should be intrin- 
sically "smart." That is, a significant 
amount of data preprocessing should 
be done at or near the sensor. Low- 
level data processing should take 
place at the sensor level, including 
detection of information regarding 
edges, holes, etc. 

Most surveys of industrial robot 

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182 B YTE • JANUARY 1986 



Inquiry 103 



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Inquiry 341 



(If you're using BetterBASIC and would like to be featured in one of our ads, please write to the Director of Advertising at Summit.) 

JANUARY 1986 -BYTE 



183 



TACTILE SENSING 



Prosthetic and 



orthotic needs for 
the handicapped are 
an important use 
for manipulators 
and tactile sensors. 



users indicate that the spatial resolu- 
tion required for a useful tactile sen- 
sor is approximately I mm. For a 
manipulator of the same approximate 
size as a human fingertip, this implies 
a sensor array of from 5 by 10 to 10 
by 20 elements. 

The sensor should have a sensitivi- 
ty on the order of 1 gram and should 
have an upper-limit capability of ap- 
proximately 1000 grams. (A loga- 
rithmic response would be satisfac- 
tory for most users.) Nonlinearity in 
the response of the sensor is general- 
ly tolerable because it can be com- 
pensated for in the data-processing 
software. Hysteresis in the sensing 
device, however, is absolutely intoler- 
able. (Hysteresis is a characteristic of 
many materials whereby a physical 
parameter, such as electrical re- 
sponse, varies markedly depending 
on whether the phenomenon on 
which it depends is increasing or de- 
creasing.) 

A sensor's response should be 
stable and repeatable, and its 
response time should be short. The 
sensor transduction bandwidth re- 
quirements vary from 100 to 1000 
hertz. That is, the data from the sen- 
sor should be updated at least every 
10 milliseconds and preferably every 
I millisecond. (It is interesting to note 
that human touch is fairly hysteretic 
and that the transduction bandwidth 
ranges from 20 Hz for separate 
touches to several hundred Hz for 
vibration sensing.) The sensor must 
also be durable and capable of with- 
standing the rigors of an industrial 
environment. 



Applications for tactile sensors in- 
clude manipulation, teleoperation, 
and prosthetic and orthotic needs. In- 
dustrial uses include assembly, 
casting and molding, forging, grinding 
and polishing, heat treating, machin- 
ing, painting, pouring, sorting, stack- 
ing, transporting, and welding. Many 
agencies, particularly the military, 
have uses requiring robots with tac- 
tile sensing capabilities. These include 
undersea exploration and salvage, 
prospecting, space-station operations, 
mining, and hazardous factory, power 
plant, and rescue operations. 

Tactile sensing is ideally suited for 
use in obscured environments, such 
as murky water and smoky rooms. 
Teleoperated manipulators require ac- 
curate force feedback, stable grasp- 
ing, position sensing, detection of slip, 
and light touch. This area of sensing 
has received surprisingly little signifi- 
cant attention. 

Prosthetic and orthotic needs for 
the handicapped are another impor-. 
tant use for manipulators and tactile 
sensors. These include artificial limbs 
for the amputee and sensing and 
assist devices for the paralyzed. The 
requirements for prosthetic and or- 
thotic aids are primarily the same as 
for teleoperation: stable grasping, 
light touch, slip detection, and so on. 

Half of the estimated 7,500,000 
disabled persons in the U.S. could 
probably be helped to some degree 
with presently available robotics tech- 
nology. 

Despite the considerable list of 
needs for effective touch sensing, the 
present state of the art remains ex- 
tremely primitive. Automated tactile 
sensing is at a very early stage of in- 
vestigation, comprehension, and 
capability. Until very recently touch 
feedback systems for robots and ma- 
nipulators were quite simple and 
relatively crude. 

Today's industrial systems still 
employ extremely simple devices; 
almost all of the more sophisticated, 
complex, and potentially useful tactile 
sensors are still in laboratory develop- 
ment, primarily in the academic or 
government environment (see table 
1). 



However, the transition from simple 
contact sensing to full robotic taction 
is under way. A great deal of research 
is currently being devoted to tactile 
sensing, and many promising ap- 
proaches are being investigated. 

Approaches 

The design of a tactile sensor is in- 
fluenced by its intended use. The 
major applications for tactile sensors 
can be divided into three general 
categories: 

1. Simple pressure determination and 
slip sensing. These capabilities are 
necessary for the most common in- 
dustrial applications of handling a 
workpiece without damage. 

2. Determination of object orientation 
and position. This is required for more 
complex and unstructured applica- 
tions, such as picking an object from 
a bin, orienting it into a new position, 
and assembling it with other objects. 

3. Object identification or recognition. 
This feature is necessary for advanced 
applications in which a robot may be 
working in a totally unknown environ- 
ment (such as undersea exploration) 
and may be required to classify or 
identify an object based solely on tac- 
tile sensations. 

Each of these applications involves 
a different design approach and dif- 
ferent computational requirements. 
The first application is technically the 
simplest to implement, and industry 
has found several workable ap- 
proaches to it. The latter two applica- 
tions are the most challenging, and it 
is on these applications that most of 
the current laboratory research is 
focused. 

The mainstream of current tactile 
sensor research can be divided into 
three broad categories, distinguished 
by their fundamental principles of 
operation: sensors using electro- 
optical, piezoresistive, or piezoelectric 
properties. 

Electro-Optic Tactile 
Sensors 

Electro-optic sensors rely on the 
modulation of a light source by the 

{continued) 



184 BYTE • JANUARY 1986 



TACTILE SENSING 



Table 1: A com 
Sensor 


parison of re 
Principle 


botic tactile 

Spatial 
Resolution 


sensors and 
Bandwidth 


their charac 

Force 
Sensitivity 


teristics. 
Load Range 


Status 


Advantages 


Disadvantages 


Ideal Sensor 

(Harmon 

Compilation) 




1 mm 


100-1000 
Hz 


1 gm 


1-1000 gm 


Hasn't been 

invented 

yet 


General-purpose, 
no hysteresis, 
high resolution 


None 


Lord Tactile 
Sensor 


Optic 


1.8-7.6 mm 


300 Hz 


3 gm 


0-681 gm 


Commercial 


Durable, little 

electromagnetic 

interference 


Individual LED/ 
detector for 
each site limits 
ultimate 
resolution 


MIT Sensor- 

Schneiter/ 

Sheridan 


Optic 


0.6 mm 


30 Hz 


N.A. 


18:1 

dynamic 

range 


Experimental 


Very high 
spatial resolution 
possible, little 
electromagnetic 
interference 


Possibly high 
computational 
requirement, 
limited durability 
at present 


Tactile Robotic 
Systems 


Optic 


2.5 mm 


12 Hz 


0.04 gm 


256:1 

dynamic 

range 


Commercial 


Low hysteresis, 

relatively 

inexpensive 

devices available 

for 

experimentation 


Still relatively 
experimental 


MIT Sensor- 
Purbrick 


Conductive 

silicone 

rubber 


2 mm 


40 Hz 


5 gm 


5-100 gm 


Experimental 


Simple, 

inexpensive 

design 


High hysteresis, 
nonlinearity 


MIT Sensor- 
Hillis 


Aniso- 
tropically 

conductive 

silicone 

rubber 


0.6 mm 


N.A. 


5 gm 


5-50 gm 


Experimental 


High resolution, 

inexpensive 

design 


Hysteresis 
problems 


Barry Wright 
Corporation 
Sensoflex 
Tactile Sensor 


Conductive 
elastomer 


1.3 mm 


30 Hz 


230 gm 


200-50,000 gm 


Commercial 


Relatively low 
hysteresis, 
durable, wide 
load range, high 
repeatability 


Relatively low 
sensitivity 


Transensory 
Devices Inc. 


Silicon 

strain 

gauge 


2 mm 


N.A. 


10 gm 


10-1000 gm 


Commercial 


Mature 

technology, low 
hysteresis, high 
repeatability 


Fragile, brittle 


University of 
Florida Induced 
Vibration Tactile 
Sensor 


Piezoelectric 


0.3 mm* 
(not yet 
real-time) 


1 Hz 


Not tested 


Not tested 


Experimental 


Inexpensive, 
good for slip 
detection or 
exploration 


No static 
response, highly 
experimental 


University of 
Pisa Sensor 


Piezoelectric 


3 mm 


100 Hz 


20 gm 


20-80,000 gm 


Experimental 


Multipurpose 
temperature, 
vibration, and 
pressure sensing 


Static response 
requires increased 
complexity of 
design 


* Single-element 
N.A.: Information 


sensor, high-resolution capability based c 
not available. 


>n vibrational design concept. 







JANUARY 1986 -BYTE 185 



TACTILE SENSING 



mechanical deformation of a flexible 
material. An elastic membrane often 
forms the touch surface and is usual- 
ly chosen to be tough and durable. 
This type of sensor is generally a com- 
pletely sealed unit and is thus imper- 
vious to most industrial contaminants. 

Electro-optic tactile sensors may 
also be highly sensitive, providing a 
direct readout of the degree of me- 
chanical deformation of their touch 
surface and are usually less suscepti- 
ble to electromagnetic interference 
than other types of tactile sensors. 
T\vo tactile sensors based on electro- 
optics are commercially available, and 
they represent the two most common 
optical approaches. 

The Lord Corporation of Erie, Penn- 
sylvania, presently markets a line of 
tactile sensors designated as the 
LTS-100, LTS-200, and LTS-300. All are 
based on the same principle and dif- 
fer primarily in sensing area and res- 
olution. The Lord Tactile Sensor is 
made up of three major components: 
a touch surface, a transduction array, 
and an electronic interface and 
control. 

The touch surface is an elastomeric 
pad that contacts an object to be ex- 



amined. The transduction medium 
consists of an array of LEDs (light- 
emitting diodes) and phototransistor 
pairs. 

The light from the LED is projected 
across a small gap and is received and 
converted into an electrical current by 
the phototransistor. When the touch 
surface comes into contact with an 
object, a pinlike projection on the 
underside of the touch surface pro- 
trudes into the transduction area. This 
projection is forced downward into 
the gap between the light emitter and 
detector and progressively blocks the 
light from the LED emitter (see figure 

I). 

The current generated by the light 
detector is inversely proportional to 
the degree of deflection of the trans- 
duction medium. The amount of force 
applied at a site may be determined 
by the properties of the elastomeric 
touch surface. 

The Lord LTS-100 sensor consists of 
an 8 by 8 array of LED/phototransistor 
pairs providing a total of 64 sensitive 
sites for pattern information. Each site 
is sensitive only to normal loads, and 
the electrical signal generated at each 
site is digitized to an 8-bit value to 




ELASTOMERIC 
TOUCH SURFACE 



LOAD 



LENS 
PHOTO DETECTOR 



STRUCTURE 
PHOTO EMITTER 














w? 


V S 


m 


^S§5 


Is 

E 




r^i 





ZERO DEFLECTION 



MODERATE DEFLECTION 



Figure 1: Sensitive site detail of an electro-optic tactile sensor. Used with permission of 
Lord Corporation, Erie, Pennsylvania. 



provide gray-scale information. 

Photo 1 shows the LTS-100 and a 
sample output image. The site-to-site 
spacing of this sensor is 7.62 mm, and 
the deflection range at each site is 
from to 1.52 mm, corresponding to 
to 681 grams. The 7.62-mm resolu- 
tion of this sensor is relatively coarse, 
although its sensitivity of 3.18 grams 
per deflection increment is fairly 
good. 

Deflection information for the entire 
array is scanned and output approx- 
imately every 3 milliseconds. The 
LTS-200A sensor provides higher res- 
olution by using an array of 10 by 16 
sensitive sites on 1.80-mm centers. 
However, these sites are only digitized 
to 4-bit values, which reduces their 
sensitivity. 

The Lord sensor is a durable and 
rugged unit. However, since the 
design requires that each sensitive 
site be equipped with its own light 
emitter/receiver pair, which must be 
individually scanned, the ultimate 
resolution of the sensor is limited by 
the physical size of the sites and the 
complexity of the electronics required 
to interpret the signals received. 

[continued) 




Photo 1: LTS-100 sensor with display 
of tactile impression. Used with permission 
of Lord Corporation, Erie, Pennsylvania. 



186 BYTE ■ JANUARY 1986 



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FP OPERATIONS 
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0:52.49 
0:08.84 
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SYNTAX CHECKING EDITOR 


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Matrix program from BYTE, October, 1982. 

FP Operations program from BYTE, May 1985. 

M2SDS with or without 8087 uses 8-byte accuracy. 

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TECHNOLOGIES 



3336 Richmond Ave., Suite 200 
Houston, Tx 77098 

1-800-922-9049 

(In Texas, call 713/523-8422) Telex: 322127 
Modula-2 Bulletin Board: 713/523-7255 



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INTERFACE TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION 

3336 Richmond, Suite 200, Houston, Texas 77098 

I I 

JANUARY 1986 -BYTE 187 



TACTILE SENSING 



A tactile sensor based on the use 
of fiber optics is illustrated by 
research performed at MIT by lohn L. 
Schneiter and Thomas B. Sheridan. In 



this approach, light is transmitted 
through a bundle of fiber optics to an 
elastic reflective surface. The light 
reflected back from this surface is 




KsO 



LIGHT OUT 



RUBBER SKIN WITH ' 
REFLECTIVE SURFACE 





LIGHT 
SOURCE 



.-en 



OPTICAL FIBERS 



COMPUTER 



Figure 2: A tactile sensor based on the use of fiber optics, designed by John L. 
Schneiter and Thomas B. Sheridan. Reprinted from Robotics and Computer- 
Integrated Manufacturing. Courtesy of Pergamon Press. 



transmitted through another bundle 
of fiber optics to a video camera. The 
camera's output is digitized and made 
available to a computer for pro- 
cessing. 

When pressure is applied to the de- 
formable reflector, the intensity of the 
light transmitted through the in- 
dividual fibers changes. This informa- 
tion can be converted into a visual 
image by the computer. (The Jet Pro- 
pulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, 
California, has developed a tactile 
sensor based on the same principle; 
however, the JPL sensor uses in- 
dividual photodetectors for each of 16 
fiber-optic sensors in a 4 by 4 array.) 

The touch surface of the MIT sen- 
sor consists of a layer of white silicone 
rubber that acts as a deformable 
reflector. This layer is bonded to a 
layer of clear elastomer, to which the 
fiber-optic bundles are attached. Vari- 
ous methods of transmitting and re- 
ceiving the light have been experi- 
mented with. 

In one case, individual fibers were 
paired into emitting and receiving 
layers. This design, illustrated in figure 

2, was somewhat difficult to fabricate 
because of the requirement that half 
the fibers be directed to the light 
source and the other half to the video 
camera. 

A different design, shown in figure 

3, uses each fiber for both emitting 
and receiving. In this implementation, 

{continued) 



TACTILE SENSOR - 



OPTICAL FIBER BUNDLE- 



COMPUTER 








TELEVISION 
CAMERA 









BEAM SPLITTER 





O 



LIGHT 
SOURCE 



EPOXY 



OPTICAL 
FIBERS — 



-REFLECTING SURFACE 

-WHITE SILICONE RUBBER 



TRANSPARENT RUBBER 



Figure 3: A fiber-optic-based tactile sensor that uses each fiber as both emitter and receiver. Reprinted from Robotics and 
Computer-Integrated Manufacturing. Courtesy of Pergamon Press. 



188 BYTE- JANUARY 1986 



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® Soapbox Derby is a registered trademark of international Soapbox Derby, inc., Akron, Ohio. '" Amiga is a trademark of Commodore-Amiga, inc. ® IBM is a registered trademark 
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a trademark licensed to Apple Computer, inc. ©1985, Commodore Electronics Limited. 

JANUARY 1986 • BYTE 189 



TACTILE SENSING 



light is directed from the light source 
to a beam splitter. At the beam split- 
ter, 7 5 percent of the light is trans- 
mitted straight through and is lost. 
The other 25 percent is directed into 
the fiber-optic bundle and transmitted 
to the reflector. This light is then 
reflected from the reflector back into 
the bundle, where it again passes 
through the beam splitter (with 75 
percent transmission) to the video 
camera. In this way. each fiber acts a 
both an emitter and a receiver, and 
fabrication is greatly simplified. 

Because this type of sensor uses 
tightly packed bundles of optical 
fibers, extremely high spatial resolu- 
tion is possible. The ultimate resolu- 
tion of this type of device is limited 
only by the diameter of the individual 
optical fibers. 

Schneiter and Sheridan have 
reported usable spatial densities of 
over 2100 sensitive sites per square 



inch, which is roughly equal to a 
resolution of better than 0.6 mm. The 
device is also completely immune to 
electromagnetic interference and can 
be used in environments that would 
harm computers by simply routing the 
fibers from the sensor to a remote 
location. 

The prototype device is currently 
limited by a reaction time of 33.33 
milliseconds (based on the video 
camera refresh rate), a somewhat 
restricted dynamic range of 18 to I, 
and a touch surface that wears out 
fairly rapidly (after a few hundred 
cycles). It is also important to note 
that very high spatial resolutions, like 
those attained in this design, often re- 
quire increased computational re- 
quirements as well. 

A commercial tactile sensor com- 
bining features of both the Lord and 
the MIT optical sensors is available 
from l^ctile Robotic Systems of 



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2911 Newport Boulevard, Newport Beach, California 92663 • (714)642-7163 



Sunnyvale, California. The company's 
highest-resolution sensor consists of 
a 16 by 16 array of sensitive sites 
spaced approximately 1.3 mm apart. 
Each sensing site is composed of a 
very small cantilever spring that pro- 
trudes through a metal plate. An op- 
tical fiber passes beneath each sens- 
ing site. 

The fiber has a small gap cut in it 
so that the two cut ends look at each 
other across a small air space. Light 
is passed through the fibers from an 
array of LEDs along one side of the 
sensor and is received by phototran- 
sistors along the opposite side. When 
pressure is applied to a sensing site, 
the cantilever spring pushes one end 
of the optical fiber out of alignment 
with the other fiber, thus diminishing 
the amount of light received by the 
photodetector at the opposite end of 
the fiber. 

This arrangement is similar to the 
Lord approach, but it can provide a 
potentially higher spatial resolution 
because the light emitters and detec- 
tors are located along the sides, rather 
than within the interior, of the sensor 
array. Also, whereas the Lord sensor 
relies on the properties of its 
elastomer surface to provide the 
force-versus-displacement calibration, 
the Tactile Robotic Systems device 
uses the metal cantilever spring to 
provide a more stable and predictable 
spring constant. 

The sensor can be calibrated to 
determine loads ranging from 10 to 
1000 grams per sensing site. Each 
sensing site can resolve approximate- 
ly 2 56 discrete steps, so the sensitivi- 
ty of an individual site can be as high 
as 10/2 56 grams, or approximately 
0.04 grams. The data response time 
of the sensor is restricted by the hard- 
ware and software of the personal 
computer it is interfaced to and is cur- 
rently limited to a scan rate of 3 kHz 
for each site, or approximately 12 Hz 
over the entire array. 

plezoresistive tactile 
Sensors 

The category of piezoresistive tactile 
sensors is quite broad and includes 

[continued) 



190 BYTE • IANUARY 1986 



Inquiry 169 



• 




UAL. H!E.i^D 




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192 B YTE • JANUARY 1986 



Inquiry 243 



TACTILE SENSING 



a multitude of different device types 
and approaches. These range from 
simple strain gauges and solid-state 
silicon devices to conductive elas- 
tomers and foams. They are all in- 
cluded in this single category because 
all rely on materials whose electrical 
conductivity varies as pressure is 
applied. 

The use of conductive elastomers as 
the basis for a tactile sensor has been 
studied for some time. A conductive 
elastomer is simply an elastic, rubber- 
like material that has electrically con- 
ductive properties. Many different 
conductive elastomer or conductive 
foam materials have been experi- 
mented with, but most sensor designs 
use an approach similar to that used 
by lohn Purbrick of the MIT Artificial 
Intelligence Laboratory. 

Purbrick noted that if a flat, hard 
conductor is pressed against another 
that is rounded and compressible, the 
area of the electrical contact will vary 
according to how hard the first con- 
ductor is pushed. The greater the 
pressure, the larger the contact area 
formed and the lower the electrical 
resistance. 

Strings of conductive silicone rub- 
ber with a semicircular cross-section 
were formed into two identical sets of 
1 6 parallel lines. These were aligned 
perpendicular to each other and 
placed into contact to form a 16 by 
16 array. This created 2 56 nodes 
where the convex surfaces of both 
sets of cords touched. An automatic 
scanning system passed a current into 
the array along a horizontal string and 
out across a vertical string, one com- 
bination at a time. 

It was possible to measure the 
resistance of each of the 2 56 contact 
points in the grid approximately 40 
times per second. Purbrick's device 
was able to distinguish at least 10 dif- 
ferent amounts of pressure in a range 
from 5 to 100 grams. 

William D. Hillis, also of the MIT Ar- 
tificial Intelligence Laboratory, ex- 
tended this approach by using sheets 
of a material known as anisotropical- 
ly conductive silicone rubber (ACS). 
ACS has the useful property of being 
conductive along only one axis in the 



plane of the sheet. 

A flexible printed-circuit board was 
etched into fine parallel lines so that 
it, too, was conductive in only one 
direction. The etched-circuit board 
and the ACS were placed into contact, 
with the lines on the printed-circuit 
board oriented perpendicular to the 
ACS axis of conduction. The contact 
points at each intersection of the 
perpendicular conductors form the 
pressure sensors. A springy nylon 
mesh (made from pantyhose material) 
was used to separate the contacts 
after pressure was released. 

The array was scanned electronical- 
ly to determine the applied pressure 
at each contact point. Hillis's device 
was a 16 by 16 array over a 1 -square- 
centimeter area. It was able to reliably 
measure pressures ranging from 5 to 



50 grams per square millimeter. 

Barry Wright Corporation of Water- 
town, Massachusetts, markets a com- 
mercial tactile sensor based on the 
research of Purbrick and Hillis. How- 
ever, the Barry Wright sensor uses a 
proprietary elastomer material, rather 
than silicone compounds. 

The Sensoflex Tactile Sensor is cur- 
rently available in two models, one 
made up of a 16 by 16 site array on 
0.1 -inch centers and the other an 8 by 
16 array on 0.05-inch centers. The sen- 
sor is scanned on a row/column basis, 
and the output is digitized to an 8-bit 
value. The sensor can be scanned at 
rates up to 30 times per second and 
is designed for recommended loads 
ranging from to 75 pounds per 
square inch. Barry Wright Corpora- 

[contimed) 



For Further Information 



Cholakis, Peter N. "Tactile Sensing for 
End Effectors." SME Seminar on 
Robotic End Effectors, March 1984. 

Dario, Paola, and Danilo De Rossi. 'Tac- 
tile Sensors and the Gripping Chal- 
lenge." IEEE Spectrum, August 1985. 

Fox, J. L. "The Brain's Dynamic Way of 
Keeping in Touch." Science, vol. 225, 
no. 4664, August 27, 1984, pages 
820-821. 

Hapgood, Fred. "Inside a Robotics Lab: 
The Quest for Automatic 'touch." tech- 
nology Illustrated, April 1983, pages 
18-22. 

Harmon, Leon D. "Automated Tactile 
Sensing." The International journal of 
Robotics Research, vol. I, no. 2, Summer 
1982. 

Harmon, Leon D. "Touch Sensing 'tech- 
nology: A Review." Case Western 
Reserve University, SME Technical 
Report MSR80-03, 1980. 

Hillis, William Daniel. "Active Touch 
Sensing." Massachusetts Institute of 
Technology Artificial Intelligence 
Laboratory, A.l. Memo 629, April 
1981. 

Kowalski, Carl. "Silicon Succeeds in 
Touch Sensing." Robotics Today, April 
1985. 

McMillan, William W. "The Robot's 
Sense of Touch: Some Lessons from 
Human Taction." Proceedings of the 1984 



Computer Science Conference. New York: 
The Association for Computing Ma- 
chinery, February 1984. 

Nevill, G. E., Jr., E. F. Schildwachter, and 
K. L. Doty. "Alternative Skin Geo- 
metries and Materials for Induced 
Vibration Touch Sensors." Gaines- 
ville, FL: University of Florida, June 
1985. 

Patterson, Robert W. "Development of 
a Dynamic Tbuch Sensor." Ph.D. Dis- 
sertation. Gainesville, FL: University 
of Florida, 1985. 

Purbrick, John A. "A Force Transducer 
Employing Conductive Silicone Rub- 
ber." First Robot Vision and Sensors 
Conference, 1981. 

Rebman, J., and M. W. TU11. 'A Robust 
Tactile Sensor for Robotic Applica- 
tions." Proceedings of the 1983 \ntema- 
tional Computers in Engineering Conference 
and Exhibit, American Society of 
Mechanical Engineers, August 1983. 

Schneiter, John L., and Thomas B. 
Sheridan. 'An Optical Tactile Sensor 
for Manipulators." Robotics and Com- 
puter-Integrated Manufacturing, vol. I , no. 
I, 1984, pages 65-71. 

"Tactile Robotic Systems Inc. Product 
Information Sheet" and personal 
communication. Sunnyvale, CA: Tac- 
tile Robotic Systems Inc., August 21, 
1985. 



JANUARY 1986 -BYTE 193 



A Printer For All Reasons 

Search For The Best High Quality Graphic Printer 



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194 BYTE • JANUARY 1986 



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Inquiry 22 for End-Users. Inquiry 23 for DEALERS ONLY. 



TACTILE SENSING 



tion. manufacturer of the Sensoflex 
Tactile Sensor, claims that its product 
exhibits the characteristics of low 
hysteresis, fast response time and 
high repeatability. 

Strain Gauges as 
Tactile Sensors 

Although careful material selection 
can minimize hysteresis and long-term 
creep, these effects will always be 
present to some degree in an 
elastomer material. Some researchers 
prefer to avoid these potential pitfalls 
by basing their sensor design on the 
more mature and proven technology 
of strain gauges. 

In its simplest form, a strain gauge 
is a circuit that is capable of measur- 
ing very minute changes in the re- 
sistance of one or more of its com- 
ponents. When a force is applied to 
the gauge or to an object to which the 
gauge is attached, some parts of the 



gauge are subjected to tension or 
compression. This results in a small 
change in the physical dimensions of 
the gauge and can be quantified by 
the resultant change in the electrical 
resistance of the strain-gauge circuit. 
Strain gauges are available in a vari- 
ety of shapes and sizes and offer the 
dual advantages of low hysteresis and 
low fatigue. 

Tfansensory Devices Inc. of Fre- 
mont, California, is developing a tac- 
tile sensor based on solid-state silicon 
strain gauges. These miniature strain 
gauges allow for the relatively dense 
arrays of sensing sites generally con- 
sidered necessary for an effective tac- 
tile sensor. 

Each individual sensing site of the 
TVansensory Devices sensor consists 
of a; small box-shaped silicon element 
(called the mesa) that protrudes out 
of a silicon diaphragm. The mesa is 
capped with a protective square of 



hard plastic, and the whole assembly 
is bonded to a glass substrate hous- 
ing the electrical connections. A 
rugged elastomer material covers the 
entire assembly for protection (see 
figure 4). 

The mesa, diaphragm, and interface 
circuitry are all machined from a 
single piece of silicon wafer. In use, a 
5-volt power supply provides a refer- 
ence signal for the sensor, as well as 
power for the on-board logic circuitry. 
The sensor's output is an analog 
voltage that changes proportionally 
with the force applied to the sensitive 
area. 

TWo sensors have been developed 
and tested by TVansensory Devices. 
One is a single-element sensor; the 
other is a 3 by 3 array of sensor ele- 
ments spaced on approximately 
2-mm centers. The present devices 
provide good linearity in force sens- 

[continued) 




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Inquiry 2 



JANUARY 1986 -BYTE 195 



TACTILE SENSING 



ing and are designed to measure from 
to 2 pounds of force. This design ap- 
proach of miniature solid-state trans- 
ducers offers great promise for future 
high-resolution sensors. However, the 
current silicon and glass sensor is 
both fragile and stiff and will require 
further refinements before it is 
suitable for widespread application in 
an industrial environment. 

Piezoelectric Tactile 
Sensors 

Piezoresistive sensors measure a 
change in electrical resistivity as a 
result of an applied force. Piezoelec- 
tric sensors are based on materials 
that generate an electrical response to 
an applied force. Piezoelectricity is a 
common phenomenon of crystalline 
materials such as quartz, and piezo- 
electric ceramics are in widespread 
use. However, the brittle nature of 
most common piezoelectric materials 
tends to make them unsuitable for 
tactile sensor applications. 

A class of materials known as 
piezoelectric polymers offers con- 
siderable promise for tactile sensing. 
Piezoelectric polymers are, as the 
name implies, polymers that exhibit 
piezoelectric properties. They are 
rugged, durable, inexpensive, and 
available in thin flexible sheets that 
allow them to conform to complex 
contours. 

Piezoelectric polymers may be 
formed into patterns of high-resolu- 
tion arrays by either metalizing the 
polymer film through a suitable mask 



or by selectively etching a metaliza- 
tion previously deposited on the film. 
They are flexible, rugged, high-resolu- 
tion, and inexpensive. These are some 
of the key characteristics of the ideal 
tactile sensor discussed earlier. 

In addition to their piezoelectric 
properties, the polymers also exhibit 
pyroelectric characteristics. That is, 
they show a change in electrical 
response based on temperature as 
well as pressure stimuli. This can be 
a problem or an asset, depending on 
how it is dealt with. One piezoelectric 
polymer that is widely used in tactile 
sensor research is polyvinylidene 
fluoride, or PVDF. This material ex- 
hibits the desirable property of a 
relatively large and linear electrical 
response to an applied external force. 

One problem with the use of PVDF 
or other piezoelectric materials in 
general is that the electrical response 
is inherently dynamic. That is, the 
material generates an electrical re- 
sponse only while it is being de- 
formed. If a continuous, nonvarying 
load is applied to a PVDF sensor, the 
electrical signal generated by the load 
will soon decay to zero. 

The Dynamic-Motion 
Principle 

Researchers at the University of 
Florida dealt with that potential prob- 
lem by developing a sensor based en- 
tirely on dynamic motion. The con- 
cept of a sensor based on the vibra- 
tions induced by sliding motion 
across a sample object was devel- 



MESA 
GLASS 


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PACKAGE 





Figure 4: The major components of a single-element tactile sensor that measures force 
normal to its surface. By permission of Tfansensory Devices Inc., Fremont. California. 



oped by Gale E. Nevill Jr. and Robert 
W. Patterson of the University of 
Florida. 

This concept is based on the theory 
that the papillary ridges of the finger- 
tips provide information that is useful 
in the identification of objects by 
touch. To investigate the theory, a tac- 
tile sensor was designed that would 
move across an object under exam- 
ination. 

The sensor is composed of two 
separate PVDF transducers. One 
transducer is oriented so that its 
direction of greatest electrical sen- 
sitivity is parallel to the direction of 
movement; the other is oriented 
transverse to that direction. The two 
transducers, oriented perpendicular 
to each other, are bonded together 
with nonconductive epoxy. The trans- 
ducer assembly is then bonded to a 
silicone rubber pad. 

The surface of the rubber pad is 
made up of a regular series of tri- 
angular ridges, meant to simulate the 
ridges on the human fingertip. 
Separate electrical leads from the 
parallel and transverse transducers 
are fed to a signal analyzer. The con- 
struction of the sensor allows for the 
separate analysis of the transverse 
and parallel vibrations induced by 
moving an object across the sensor. 

In experimental use, objects are 
moved across the sensor at a constant 
speed via a rotating platform. When 
the sensor pad contacts an object, a 
measurement is made of the signal in- 
duced by both the transverse and 
parallel vibrations. This results in a 
signal spectrum of voltage versus fre- 
quency. Discrete values of the signal 
within certain bandwidths are used as 
parameters for a discriminate analysis 
pattern-recognition scheme. 

During laboratory tests, sample ob- 
jects are first moved across the sen- 
sor to establish a test template of 
parameters. Afterward, the sensor is 
able to recognize objects to which it 
has been previously exposed with 
almost 100 percent accuracy. It is 
capable of reading the Braille alpha- 
bet and can distinguish between dif- 
ferent grades of sandpaper. It can tell 

[continued] 



196 B YTE ■ JANUARY 1986 



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Inquiry 348 



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TACTILE SENSING 



the difference between cylinders and 
spheres of varying sizes and can re- 
solve differences between ball bear- 
ings spaced 0.2 5 inch versus 0.26 inch 
apart. It can also determine the fea- 
tures of an object under examination 
even if the speed with which it is 
scanned across the object is changed. 
More recent experiments have iden- 



tified materials for the surface pad 
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rubber pad. Further investigations are 
being performed to develop sensor 
arrays that offer increased spatial 
resolution. This type of sensor shows 
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tification-oriented. It also appears ap- 
propriate for use in slip detection. 

However, since its output depends 
on dynamically induced vibrations, 
this type of sensor is unsuitable for 
conventional gripping applications 
unless wedded with another sensor 
design. Also, since the computer must 
know the sensor's relative speed of 
motion, there must be communica- 
tion with another device capable of 
determining that speed. This is not 
necessarily a problem, since such in- 
formation could be obtained from the 
movement of a robot arm attached to 
the sensor, but it is a consideration 
nevertheless. 

P. Dario, D. De Rossi, P. C Pinotti. R. 
Bardelli, and others at the University 
of Pisa in Italy have been involved for 
many years in developing an artificial, 
skinlike, tactile sensor capable of 
alleviating some of these problems. 

One of their designs attempts to 
reproduce the sensing properties of 
the human fingertip. The sensor con- 
sists of an outer epidermal layer and an 
inner dermal layer (see figure 5), each 
of which performs distinct sensing 
functions. The epidermal layer con- 
sists of a 40-micrometer-thick film of 
PVDF protected by a thin Mylar sheet. 

Electrodes on the top and bottom 
of the epidermal PVDF film carry off 
any electrical charge to signal pro- 
cessing equipment. The underside of 
the PVDF layer is covered with a 
resistive paint and is backed by an 
elastomer layer. A IlO-micrometer- 
thick PVDF film is attached to the 
underside of the elastomer layer. The 
lower PVDF layer serves as the der- 
mal sensor and is bonded to a circuit 
board containing an 8 by 16 array of 
circular electrodes, spaced on 3-mm 
centers. 

Any charge developed in the der- 
mal PVDF layer is discretely measured 
by the closest electrode sites. The 
signals from the electrodes are con- 
secutively scanned, fed into a charge 
amplification device, and measured. 
This design allows the sensor to 
measure gross pressure deformations 
in the epidermal layer and more 
highly resolved and localized defor- 

[contmued) 



198 BYTE • JANUARY 1986 



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JANUARY 1986 -BYTE 199 



TACTILE SENSING 



mations in the dermal layer. 

The overall sensor dimension is ap- 
proximately 1 by 2 inches. The elas- 
tomer layer between the two PVDF 
layers provides electrical insulation. In 
addition, the elastomer introduces a 
time delay of about 1 second be- 
tween the detection of thermal signals 
in the epidermal and the dermal 
layers, allowing the isolation of ther- 
mally induced responses. This 
alleviates the potential problems 
associated with the pyroelectric 
response of PVDF and allows for the 
possible identification of objects 
based on their thermal conductance. 

In practice, the sensor replicates the 
human's temperature- and pressure- 
sensing responses. When the resistive 
paint layer is connected to a regulated 
power supply, the paint raises the sen- 
sor's temperature to approximately 
37° Celsius. When the tactile sensor 
touches an object, heat flows from the 
resistive layer through the PVDF 
epidermal sensor to the object. The 
rate of heat flow depends on the ther- 



mal properties of the object being 
touched. This allows metals, which 
have a high thermal conductivity, to 
be clearly distinguished from plastics 
or other insulating materials. 

The dermal sensor array continu- 
ously measures varying contact forces 
over relatively dense sensing sites and 
can therefore detect geometrical fea- 
tures of objects such as edges, 
corners, and depressions. 

The epidermal layer, protected only 
by a thin Mylar film, is extremely sen- 
sitive to deformations and can pro- 
vide gross information only on con- 
tact location. However, when gently 
rubbed against an object, the epider- 
mal sensor behaves like a phono- 
graph needle, indicating surface 
roughness. In this mode, it can detect 
differences between grades of fabric, 
similar to the capabilities of the 
University of Florida sensor. 

When pressed against an object 
and then released, the combined 
signals detected by the epidermal and 
dermal layers provide information on 



-CONDUCTORS 



^MYLAR 

PROTECTIVE 
LAYER 



i m 




-PVF ? 



— ELASTOMER OR 
NATURAL RUBBER 



PRINTED-CIRCUIT 
BOARD- 



-CIRCULAR 
METAL PLATE 



Figure 5: A skinlike tactile sensor with an outer (epidermal) layer and an inner 
(dermal) layer. The sensor was developed at the E. Piaggio Center of the University of 
Pisa and at the Institute of Clinical Physiology of the Italian National Research 
Council This figure is reprinted with permission of the IEEE and appeared in "Tactile 
Sensors and the Gripping Challenge" by Dr. Paolo Dario and Dr. Danilo De Rossi 
(IEEE Spectrum, August 1985). 



object hardness. When installed in a 
mechanical gripper, the sensor can 
determine object slippage based on 
microvibrations generated in the 
epidermal layer by the slipping object. 

During laboratory tests, the sensor 
detected slips as small as a few hun- 
dred micrometers over the time span 
of a few milliseconds. The sensor has 
demonstrated a maximum load capa- 
bility of 40 newtons (a newton equals 
I kilogram/meter/second) and can 
detect forces as small as 0.01 newton. 
This represents an impressive dynamic 
range of 4000 to I . 

The University of Pisa researchers 
suggest two solutions to the problem 
of the dynamic response limitations 
of a PVDF tactile sensor. One solution 
is to make use of a conductive elasto- 
mer to separate the dermal and 
epidermal PVDF layers. This elastomer 
can then measure continuous pressure 
in the same way as the conductive 
elastomer sensors described earlier. 

Another solution is to send sound 
pulses from the lower to the upper 
PVDF layers. By measuring any dif- 
ferences in the travel time of the 
waves from the lower to the upper 
layer, the amount of compression can 
be determined and the pressure in- 
directly inferred. The University of 
Pisa sensor appears to offer great 
promise as a general-purpose tactile 
sensor combining many functions into 
a single device. 

Conclusion 

There are many approaches to tactile 
sensing that I have not covered. These 
include the use of ultrasound, mag- 
netic induction, electrotopography, 
and other intriguing techniques. I have 
tried to identify many of the major 
concepts and stimulate ideas for 
future approaches. 

The robotics designer should be 
aware of the trade-offs involved be- 
tween the spatial density of a sensor 
array and its resultant computational 
requirements. Higher resolutions 
often require much greater data- 
processing capability. Also, it is impor- 
tant to remember that the intended 
use of the sensor plays a major role 
in its design. ■ 



200 B YTE • JANUARY 1986 




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ROBOTICS 



MULTIPLE 

ROBOTIC 

MANIPULATORS 

by J. Scott Hawker, R. N. Nagel, Richard Roberts, 
and Nicholas G. Odrey 



Designing a task-oriented control system 
for multiple manipulators 



WHEN CONFRONTED WITH issues 
related to robots, the average person 
generally envisions a device or system 
that is humanlike in form and 
possesses some human attributes. 
Robotic reality is quite different from 
this perception. Robots are generally 
not human in form and rarely possess 
human qualities or attributes. Robots 
in the industrial environment are, for 
the most part, very simple devices 
performing simple tasks. To date, few 
robots have been integrated to work 
together on the same task or even in 
the same workspace. 

It appears on the surface that coor- 
dinating two robots is not a difficult 
assignment. This is not the case. To 
more fully appreciate the potential 
difficulties with coordinated perfor- 
mance, consider the requirements for 
holding a pencil or cylindrical object 
between the tips of two index fingers. 
This action requires that the two 
fingers exert a force on each end of 
the pencil or cylinder. These forces 
must support the weight of the pen- 
cil (see figure la). At the same time, 
the forces must be limited so they 
don't damage either the pencil or, 



from the human standpoint, the 
fingertips. This type of behavior clear- 
ly requires force sensors and coor- 
dinated control between the two 
fingertips. 

Now let's add more complexity to 
the assignment. Consider the prob- 
lem of holding one fingertip poised 
in space (fixing one end of the pen- 
cil) while moving the other fingertip 
in a circular path, causing the other 
end of the pencil to follow (figure lb). 
A slightly more ambitious assignment 
would be moving both ends in circular 
paths simultaneously (figure lc). Then, 
while rotating both pencil tips in cir- 
cular paths, move or translat e the 
pencil through space (figure Id). 

The three motions described re- 
quire that the forces between the 
fingers and the positions of the finger- 
tips be carefully controlled. We 
recommend that you attempt these 
motions (as shown in figures la 
through Id) to appreciate the 
subtleties involved in moving the pen- 
cil through its paces. 

It becomes apparent that a means 
of monitoring and controlling the ap- 
plied force is needed. In addition, a 



means for setting, monitoring, and 
controlling the paths of the pencil's 
end points is required. Communica- 

[continued) 
J. Scott Hawker, who holds B.S.E.E. and 
M.S.E.E. degrees from Texas Tech University, 
is a graduate research assistant at the Institute 
for Robotics, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, 
Pennsylvania. He is now on leave from AT&T 
Bell laboratories, studying robotics and manu- 
facturing systems. 

R. N. Nagel holds B.S. and M.S. degrees 
in mathematics from Stevens Institute of Tech- 
nology and a PhD. in computer science from 
the University of Maryland. Dr. Nagel is the 
director of the Institute for Robotics at Lehigh 
University. 

Richard Roberts holds a Ph.D. in 
mechanical engineering from Lehigh Univer- 
sity. Professor Roberts is an expert in the areas 
of machine design and failure analysis. 

Nicholas G. Odrey holds B.S. and M.S. 
degrees in aerospace engineering and a Ph.D. 
in industrial engineering. Dr. Odrey is the 
director of the Robotics Laboratory of the In- 
stitute for Robotics at Lehigh University. 

All of the above authors may be contacted 
at the Institute for Robotics, Lehigh Univer- 
sity. 200 West Packer Ave., Bethlehem, PA 
18015. 

JANUARY 1986 -BYTE 203 



MULTIPLE MANIPULATORS 



tion channels and a minimum level of 
intelligence are required so that the 
proverbial left hand knows what the 
right hand is doing. 

In addition to these requirements, 
the benefits of practice should have 
become obvious. As the tasks are 
repeated and the fingertips become 
more skilled, the coordinated motion 
becomes easier. This last feature, the 



ability to improve performance 
through trial is especially important 
if a robot is to be a truly flexible, 
adaptable element in a factory en- 
vironment. 

Dual- Arm Structure 

Researchers at the Institute for 
Robotics at Lehigh University are now 
studying the philosophy and imple- 




Figure 1 : The actions of two hands rotating a pencil and moving it through space. 



mentation of high-level, task-oriented 
control of dual-arm robots, as well as 
the design and low-level control of 
robotic arms. The dual-arm robot be- 
ing described was designed as a re- 
search system capable of providing a 
variety of issues related to coor- 
dinated control of two or more 
robotic arms. 

As we made individual design deci- 
sions, we always biased them to pro- 
vide as challenging a set of problems 
as possible for the researcher. The 
dual-arm robot currently being con- 
structed at Lehigh University consists 
of two movable robot arms attached 
to a rigid base. Each arm possesses 
seven degrees of freedom: three 
translational and four rotational. 
Figure 2 shows the structure and the 
various degrees of freedom of one of 
these arms. 

Each arm is attached to the rigid 
base in a way that allows the attach- 
ment points to move with two 
degrees of freedom in a fixed vertical 
plane. The range of travel for coor- 
dinate axes is as follows: Translational 
axis 1 is 7 feet, translational axis 2 is 

3 feet, and translational axis 3 is ap- 
proximately 1/2 feet. When fully ex- 
tended, the robot hand can reach 55 
inches from the vertical plane repre- 
sented by coordinate translational 
axes 1 and 2. 

The precise limitations of the 
angular travel of rotational coor- 
dinates 1,2, and 3 are not known but 
are believed to be in the range of plus 
or minus 90 degrees. Rotational axis 

4 can provide a full 360 degrees of 
rotation. With the ranges of travel 
noted for the translational and rota- 
tional axes of the two arms, a large 
work envelope can be addressed. This 
should provide ample space to con- 
front the two arms with tasks that re- 
quire coordinated motion. 

Implementation 

We chose aluminum as the material 
for construction of the robot arms in 
order to minimize the weight of the 
arms and reduce the requirements of 
the driving actuator motors for the 
system (we designed each arm to han- 

[continued) 



204 BYTE • JANUARY 1986 



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Inquiry 219 



JANUARY I986 -BYTE 205 



MULTIPLE MANIPULATORS 



die a total load of 5 pounds). 

Both stepper motors and servo, 
motors are used for driving the robot 
arms. The three translational axes and 
the first rotational degree of freedom 
are powered by stepper motors. The 
drivers for the remaining three rota- 
tional degrees of freedom and the 
motor that actuates the hand are 
servo motors. 

We based the decision to mix the 
types of motors on size and power re- 
quirements, delivery schedules, and 
cost. In addition to these factors (and 
probably just as important) was the 
desire to provide the designers of the 
low-level controls with the different 
challenges presented by each motor 
type. All of the stepper and servo 
motors are equipped with position 
sensors so that the motions of the 
arms can be measured. In addition to 
the positional sensors, each hand will 



be equipped with a force sensor so 
that the forces exerted by the hand 
can also be measured. 

Controlling two arms to cooperate 
in accomplishing one task is more 
complex than controlling two arms to 
accomplish two independent tasks. 
Nevertheless, it is very important that 
adequate, independent, single-arm 
control mechanisms be in place for 
each of the two arms so that their mo- 
tions and applied forces can be con- 
trolled within the motion constraints 
specified. These single-arm con- 
trollers can then be extended and 
coupled to form an integrated dual- 
arm controller. 

Since dual-arm control is an exten- 
sion of single-arm control we will first 
describe the common approaches to 
and requirements of single-arm con- 
trol. We will highlight the single-arm 
control problems that are not ade- 



quately solved and will assume that 
answers to these problems will be ap- 
plicable to dual-arm control. 

Single-Arm Control 

In order to provide a clear under- 
standing of the goals of single-arm 
control our discussion will consider 
a robotic arm to be very much like a 
human arm: a series of connected 
mechanical links or "bones" that allow 
the end of the last link (the end 
effector or "hand") to be placed at 
some position and orientation in 
space. The energy that causes the mo- 
tion of the arm comes from actuators 
or "muscles" that drive the motion of 
each mechanical "joint" to achieve 
the desired pose, motion, or force of 
the end effector. 

A control computer is normally 
used to generate the particular ac- 

[continued] 



4y 



-TRANSLATIONAL 
AXIS 1 



-TRANSLATIONAL 
AXIS 2 



-ROTATIONAL 
AXIS 1 



(20 



1 1 
Ik 



TRANSLATIONAL 
AXIS 3 



ROTATIONAL 
AXIS 2- 




Figure 2: A schematic representation of Lehigh University's robot arm showing the three translational axes of movement and the 
four rotational axes of movement. 



206 BYTE • JANUARY 1986 



Inquiry 336 — ► 



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MULTIPLE MANIPULATORS 



tuator drive signals that coordinate 
the motion of the joints and linkages 
of a single-arm manipulator. For ex- 
ample, raising the end effector may be 
achieved by "shoulder" motion, 
"elbow" motion, or both. This kind of 
control which corresponds loosely to 
the basic motor skills of the human 
brain, is called "low-level" control in 



that it is automatic. (Most people 
don't concentrate on which muscles 
they have to move to lift a pencil.) 
Much more effort is expended on 
planning and executing the overall 
task (the high-level control), while the 
low-level control operation is as- 
sumed to be available and is essen- 
tially ignored. 




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All the planning, execution monitor- 
ing, and low-level control suggests 
that there is far more to a single 
robotic arm than a collection of link- 
ages, actuators, and basic motor con- 
trol that mimics the human arm. This 
is indeed true. For example, the end- 
effector "hand" is usually designed 
for specific tasks. A welding tool is 
used on a welding arm, a viselike grip- 
per or humanlike hand on an assem- 
bly arm, and a paint sprayer on a 
painting arm. The operation of the 
end-effector devices must also be 
controlled in coordination with the 
motions of the end effector, as deter- 
mined by the low-level controlled mo- 
tion of the link actuators. 

It is obvious then that the high-level 
control that dictates to the low-level 
control the pose of the arm end ef- 
fector must also tell the end effector 
what to do once it is there. The goal 
of the high-level computer is to deter- 
mine the particular sequence of link 
motions and end-effector operations 
that accomplish a given task and then 
drive the low-level control that 
generates the arm and end-effector 
actuator drive signals to achieve the 
task motions and operations. 

Throughout the performance of the 
task, the task execution must be 
monitored through sensors not only 
to assure that the motions and opera- 
tions are as expected but also to ad- 
just the actuator drive to correct any 
sensed errors. Such closed-loop or 
feedback control is used at both the 
low and high levels of control. 

In order to achieve real-time closed- 
loop control for a system as complex 
as an autonomous robot, data must 
be gathered (through sensing trans- 
ducers), processed, and monitored to 
update the parameters of the control 
and decision algorithms before they 
are executed. The real-time aspect is 
required so that error feedback can 
provide input corrections quickly 
enough to reduce errors before they 
become too large. The more variable 
the working environment, the more 
data must be gathered, and the more 
quickly unexpected changes might 
occur, the more quickly this data must 

[continued) 



208 BYTE- JANUARY 1986 



Inquiry 344 




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210 BYTE • JANUARY 1986 



Inquiry 317 



MULTIPLE MANIPULATORS 



be processed and fed back to the 
control input. 

Stability 

Complex coupled systems such as 
single- or dual-arm robots have the 
potential for unbounded or uncon- 
trolled behavior (instability) in certain 
ranges of operation. These regions 
are usually characterized by con- 
straints on allowed velocities and ac- 
celerations or by regions of the work- 
space that are less precisely con- 
trolled than other regions. The con- 
trol system must be designed to 
locate and avoid, or otherwise accom- 
modate, these regions of operation 
without adversely affecting the flex- 
ibility in the range of operation. 

Most commercial control systems 
simplify the control issues by placing 
limits on the overall velocities and ac- 
celerations and therefore do not allow 
the robot to perform to its maximum 
capabilities throughout the work- 
space. 

As the above discussion indicates, 
the more flexibility required in a 
robotic application, the greater the 
number of variables that must be con- 
trolled simultaneously. State-of-the-art 
systems are typified by the extensive 
use of fixtures to reduce the number 
of variables to a manageable level. 
Unfortunately, such structures also 
reduce the flexibility of a system in ac- 
commodating new tasks or unex- 
pected difficulties. 

This use of rigid structures is often 
attributable to the lack of availability 
of a broad range of sensors and low- 
cost control computers, and the dif- 
ficulty and cost of overall integration 
into a sensory feedback, real-time 
control system. The development of 
the more complex dual-arm robotic 
systems must address these issues 
more directly without imposing rigid 
structures by 'engineering away" 
problems. 

Control Levels 

Researchers at the National Bureau of 
Standards (NBS) have developed a 
philosophy for designing and imple- 
menting real-time, hierarchically 
distributed, sensory-control systems 



incorporating robotic arms, machine 
tools, and other manufacturing 
devices. 

This philosophy has been success- 
fully demonstrated repeatedly and 
has recently been applied to a form 
of dual-arm control. Because of this 
demonstrated success, the dual-arm 
research at Lehigh is based on the 
NBS philosophy of distributed hier- 
archical control. 

We have chosen to describe the 
portion of the control that achieves the 
desired motions as "low-level control" 
and the portion that determines the mo- 
tions desired for a task as "high-level 
control." This dictates the following in- 
terpretation of the present state of 
research in robotic arm control. 

Closed-loop sensing and control 
algorithms now exist that allow 
precise and stable control of the posi- 
tion and orientation of the end effec- 
tor of an arm, and techniques for 



more general velocity and force con- 
trol are well under development at 
many research laboratories. Low-level 
control mechanisms now or will soon 
exist that, when given the desired tra- 
jectory (position versus time) of the 
end effector, will provide the desired 
motion. 

The end effector itself is typically a 
very simple special-purpose tool for 
which low-level control is also readily 
available. However, more general- 
purpose end effectors, such as 
humanlike hands that can grasp a 
wide variety of objects or hand tools, 
are slow in development due to many 
of the same problems of dual-arm 
control. 

Much of the research on high-level, 
task-oriented control is focused on 
the planning aspects associated with 
various tasks. The planning aspects 
are concerned with how to automati- 

[continued) 



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JANUARY I986 • BYTE 211 



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MULTIPLE MANIPULATORS 



cally generate the trajectory path of 
an arm carrying an object so that it 
does not collide with other objects in 
the workspace, or how to determine 
the best grasp location and force for 
a particular object based on data rep- 
resented in a computer-aided design 
(CAD) model of the object. 

Perhaps more important artificial 
intelligence researchers are searching 
for algorithms and heuristics for the 
automatic decomposition of the steps 
of a task into a sequence of simpler 
subtasks that are already imple- 
mented. Artificial intelligence re- 
searchers and others are searching for 
robust techniques for executing the 
task steps in the presence of uncer- 
tainties and unexpected changes in 
the work environment. 

Visible results of research on high- 
level control systems include a 
number of human-oriented graphical 
programming and simulation systems 
for robot motion programming and 
the development of high-level robot 
programming languages. These lan- 
guages have, in some cases, been 
modeled after popular structured pro- 
gramming languages (e.g., Pascal, 
APL, and FORTH). 

Other available results include the 
development and application of a 
number of techniques for visual 
image processing and image under- 
standing. Methods for integrating 
these and other sensory-perception 
techniques into an autonomous, in- 
telligent control system are under in- 
tense, although slow, study. Our plan 
is that the dual-arm research project 
will provide a flexible and powerful 
test bed for accelerating the develop- 
ment of robust, generic solutions to 
high-level control problems. 

Dual- Arm Control 

There are research challenges in dual- 
arm control at both the low level (how 
to achieve the desired motions in real 
time) and the high level (how to deter- 
mine the desired motions to achieve 
a task). The challenges at the low level 
derive from the need for coordinated 
control of two arms in real time, as 
well as a data-communications tech- 
nique that supports the distribution 



of commands and data among the 
distributed control elements of the 
two arms. 

Many single-arm systems can by- 
pass these requirements because the 
control and sensing algorithms are 
simple enough to allow a single com- 
puter to perform all tasks in real time. 
With dual-arm systems, the number of 
control and sensing procedures is 
more than double that of single-arm 
systems, so the sensing and control 
functions must be distributed among 
a number of physically distinct and 
heterogeneous computers. 

At the high level, the problems 
associated with single-arm task plan- 
ning and execution are magnified by 
the fact that the job tasks must be par- 
titioned among two arms, but the task 
partitioning must be coordinated in 
such a way that the high-level task is 
accomplished correctly. Algorithms 
for planning and monitoring must be 
modified from the domain of the 
single arm to the more general dual- 
arm arena. 

lust as general techniques for the 
distribution of function and data have 
proved elusive in the world of 
distributed and parallel computing, so 
too have general techniques for dis- 
tributed control of robots. 

The NBS approach is to partition 
the sensory processing, world model- 
ing (expectations), and control func- 
tions. The control functions are de- 
composed into hierarchically struc- 
tured, limited-scope modules. This 
same approach has proved useful in 
the preliminary study and research of 
dual-arm systems at Lehigh University. 

It seems natural to think of a dual- 
arm robot as two independent, low- 
level, single-arm controllers directed 
by a third (higher-level) controller that 
coordinates and synchronizes the 
arms (see figure 3). This approach, 
however, does not allow the arms to 
work together in a tightly coupled 
operation such as manipulating the 
pencil 

The role of the high-level coor- 
dinating controller is needed, but the 
low-level single-arm controllers must 
also be integrated, for example, to 

[continued] 



212 B YTE • JANUARY 1986 



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FROMALLIANCERESEARCH CORPORATION 

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: IBM, Apple and AT&T are registered trademarks respectively of International Business Machines Corp., Apple Computer Inc. and AT&T information Systems. 



= Inquiry 4I8 for End-Users, inquiry 4,1 9jor_ DEALERS ONLY. 



) Copyright 1985 Alliance Research Corporation ■ 



MULTIPLE MANIPULATORS 



allow the forces felt by one arm to 
directly modify the forces applied by 
the other arm. This results in the con- 



ceptual control architecture shown in 
figure 3, integrated into the overall 
system architecture shown in figure 4. 



Note in figure 4 that the low levels are 
coupled directly in the control portion 
and also indirectly through the model. 



HIGH-LEVEL COMMAND 
AND STATUS 



COORDINATION 

AND 

SYNCHRONIZATION 



LOW-LEVEL COMMAND 
AND STATUS 



LOW-LEVEL COMMAND 
AND STATUS 



SINGLE-ARM 

CONTROL 



SINGLE -ARM 
CONTROL 



ACTUATOR 
SIGNALS 



ACTUATOR 
SIGNALS 



ARM 



Figure 3: Simplified dual-arm control hierarchy showing low-level and high-level 
functions. 



Distribution of Function 

Physical implementation of the con- 
ceptual system models shown in 
figures 3 and 4 requires more explicit 
definition of the distribution of func- 
tion and data between low- and high- 
level control and between the in- 
dividual low-level controls. For exam- 
ple, consider which element is re- 
sponsible for avoiding collisions (i.e., 
the individual arm controllers or the 
high-level coordinating controller). 

It seems that the collision-avoidance 
function itself should be split and the 
subfunctions distributed. Similarly, 
how does the grasp planning of one 
arm consider the fact that an object 
is to be handed to another arm whose 
grasp requirements must also be ac- 
commodated? The laboratory system 

{continued) 



DATA 



CAD OR 
'A PRIORI 1 
DATA 



SENSED 
DATA 



MODEL 



VOLUME 
REPRESENTATION 



/ 



OBJECT 
REPRESENTATIONS 



ARM 
REPRESENTATIONS 



SINGLE -ARM 
CONTROL 



ARM 



SENSORS 




CONTROL 



COORDINATION 

AND 

SYNCHRONIZATION 




SINGLE-ARM 
CONTROL 



ARM 



ACTIONS •+- 



Figure 4: Overall system control hierarchy of a dual-arm robot, showing the relationship between the external world, the actual 
control and the intrinsic model used by the system. 



214 BYTE • JANUARY 1986 




In 1876 Alexander 
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MULTIPLE MANIPULATORS 



currently under development will 
allow various alternatives to such 
issues to be quickly and easily 
explored. 

Lehigh University researchers have 
designed a control structure for com- 
plex dual-arm operations, and initial 
research has progressed in two areas: 
pick-and-place operations with two 
arms that have overlapping work- 
spaces and the design of task-plan- 
ning algorithms to allow the inter- 
change of objects between arms (i.e., 
end effectors) in free space. 

The existence of overlapping work- 
spaces has led to the development of 
algorithms for collision avoidance that 
consider two moving arms. The plan- 
ning of free-space object interchange 
takes into consideration the relative 
locations of the arms, objects to be 
manipulated, and object destinations, 
and assigns arm subtasks based on 
these considerations within the con- 



fines of workspace areas accessible to 
the arms. 

Coordinated-Control 
Research 

Lehigh University researchers believe 
that a distributed control and commu- 
nications system must be imple- 
mented and that high-level control al- 
gorithms must be developed to ac- 
commodate the increased number of 
variables and capabilities of dual-arm 
robots. They have also noted that 
single-arm low- and high-level control 
techniques may not be directly ap- 
plicable due to the increased com- 
plexity of dual-arm implementations. 
Lehigh's research team has devel- 
oped a plan that will begin to uncover 
the requirements and implementa- 
tions of dual-arm and more general- 
purpose multidevice manufacturing 
systems. The first step in the study of 
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clear understanding of how complex 
tasks are decomposed into simpler 
subtask "primitives." This understand- 
ing of task decomposition must be ac- 
companied by an in-depth knowledge 
of how manufacturing systems are 
combined to achieve a particular task. 
We must understand the system com- 
position that supports the task de- 
composition. 

We are approaching this problem in 
two ways. First, we are identifying and 
developing mathematical system 
analysis (decomposition) and syn- 
thesis (composition) tools that allow 
theoretical modeling and study of 
manufacturing systems. Second, we 
are developing a flexible system-im- 
plementation strategy that follows the 
structure of the mathematical tools. 

This strategy includes modular 
design with rules for integrating the 
modules into a system. Clearly de- 
fined, functionally bounded modules 
with clearly defined data and control 
interfaces must be developed. 

The dual-arm laboratory system 
under development is the first step 
toward this system-building under- 
standing. It will allow us to study such 
questions as "How can two arms be 
controlled to cooperate in lifting a 
load heavier than one arm can han- 
dle alone?" or "How can two arms be 
controlled to manipulate the ends of 
a pencil without dropping or break- 
ing the pencil?" 

More fundamental to an autono- 
mous flexible operation, perhaps, is 
obtaining answers to such questions 
as "What general task-decomposition 
techniques are needed to consider 
the increased capability of two arms, 
rather than simply considering two in- 
dependent arms?" That is, "What 
does parallelism provide that dis- 
tinguishes it from overlapping se- 
quential control?" We believe the 
answer lies in the term "coordination," 
which could be interpreted as 
"dependent" overlapped sequential 
control. 

Our research is aimed at under- 
standing and controlling this 
dependency to achieve coordination. 
Our short-term goal is to develop a 

[continued) 



216 B YTE • JANUARY 1986 



Inquiry 371 for End-Users. Inquiry 372 for DEALERS ONLY. 




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houses to on-line real estate 
listings for faster property identifi- 
cation and improved sales 
presentations. 

Electronic Cataloging — pictures 
of products can be combined with a 
data base system containing pro- 
duct specifications, pricing, 
availability and much more. 



Customers, distributors and sales 
personnel can quickly search data 
and view the resulting product/ 
picture information on one screen. 
Files can be updated easily, 
quickly. 




CHORUS 



It's Easy 

With a simple keystroke, pop-out of 
your data base system and into the 
PHOTOBASE menu. Capture 
images of text, photos, artwork and 
3-dimensional objects with an 
ordinary video camera and our 
high resolution PC-EYE™ video 
digitizer. Pop back into your data 
base system and add the picture 
name to your data base like you 
would any other piece of 
information. The full functionality of 
the data base system is preserved, 
but the resulting display is text and 
picture information on one screen. 

Pictures are displayed in the upper 
right quadrant of the screen at a 
resolution of 320 x 200 with 16 
colors or levels of gray. Text 
information from data base records 
fills the rest of the screen. Pictures 
can also be exploded to full screen. 

Call or write and we will send you 
information on PHOTOBASE, 
PC-EYE, compatible cameras and 
other imaging equipment in the 
Chorus Family of products. 
(603) 424-2900 or 
1-800-OCHORUS. 

TM PHOTOBASE and PC-EYE are trademarks of 
CHORUS Data Systems. 
'dBase II is a trademark of Ashton-Tate; R-Base 
4000 is a trademark of Microrim, Inc.; IBM Filing 
Assistant is a trademark of International Business 
Machines Corporation. 



Inquiry 59 



CHORUS Data Systems, Inc., 6 Continental Blvd., P.O. Box 370, Merrimack, New Hampshire 03054 



IBM COMPATIBILITY 



. at a not so IBM price 



TECH TURBO PCJAT 
$2399 

PRICE INCLUDES: 

M6TO8MHZ80286CPU 

m512K 

mONE, 1.2 MB FLOPPY DRIVE 

■ 8 EXPANSION SLOTS 

■ 795 WATT POWER SUPPLY 

■ COMPLETE MS DOS, PC 
DOS, XENIX COMPATIBILITY 

■ RUNS LOTUS 123, DBASE III 
FRAMEWORK AND ALL 
OTHER POPULAR AT 
SOFTWARE 

■ ONE YEAR WARRANTY!! 

OPTIONS: 

TECH TURBO PC/AT WITH 
20MB HARD DISK $2825 
TECH TURBO PC/AT WITH 
20MB HARD DISK, 
MONOCHROME MONITOR, 
HERCULES® COMPATIBLE 
MONOGRAPHICSCARD 

$2999 

ALSO AVAILABLE WITH TAPE 
BACKUPS, MODEMS, LARGER 
HARD DISKS, AND NETWORK- 
ING SYSTEMS. 



TECH PC/AT 
$1999 

PRICE INCLUDES: 

■ 6M HZ 80286 CPU 
m512K 

■ ONE, 1. 2 MB FLOPPY DRIVE 

■ 8 EXPANSION SLOIS 

■ 1.95 WATT POWER SUPPLY 

■ COMPLETE MS DOS, PC 
DOS, XENIX COMPATIBILITY 

■ RUNS LOTUS 123, DBASE III 
FRAMEWORK AND ALL 
OTHER POPULAR AT 
SOFTWARE. 

■ ONE YEAR WARRANTY!! 

OPTIONS: 

TECH PC/AT WITH 20 MB 

HARD DISK $2499 

TECH PC/AT WITH 20MB 

HARD DISK, MONOCHROME 

MONITOR, 

HERCULES® COMPATIBLE 

MONO/GRAPHICS CARD 

$2699 

ALSO AVAILABLE WITH TAPE 
BACKUPS, MODEMS, LARGER 
HARD DISKS, AND NETWORK- 
ING SYSTEMS. 



TECH TURBO PC/XT 
$1099 

PRICE INCLUDES: 

■ 4 TO 7 MHZ SOFTWARE 
SWITCH ABLE CPU 

m640K 

■ TWO 360K DS/DD FLOPPY 
DISK DRIVES 

■ 8 EXPANSION SLOTS 

■ 735 WATT POWER SUPPLY 

■ ONE YEAR WARRANTY!! 



OPTIONS: 

TECH TURBO PC/XT WITH 
20MB HARD DISK $1699 
TECH TURBO PC/XT WITH 
20MB HARD DISK, MONO- 
CHROME MONITOR AND 
HERCULES COMPATIBLE 
MONO/GRAPHICS CARD 

$1950 

ALSO AVAILABLE W<ITH TAPE 
BACKUPS, MODEMS, LARGER 
HARD DISKS, AND NETWORK- 
ING SYSTEMS. 



TECH PC/XT 
$799 

PRICE INCLUDES: 

■ 4.77 MHZ CPU 
m256K 

■ TWO, 360K DS/DD FLOPPY 
DRIVES 

■ 8 EXPANSION SLOTS 

■ 735 WATT POWER SUPPLY 

■ ONE YEAR WARRANTY!! 



OPTIONS: 

TECH PC/XT WITH 20MB 
HARD DISK $1449 

TECH PC/XT WITH 20MB 
HARD DISK, MONOCRHOME 
MONITOR, HERCULES COM- 
PATIBLE MONO/GRAPHICS 
CARD $1649 

ALSO AVAILABLE WITH TAPE 
BACKUPS, MODEMS, LARGER 
HARD DISKS, AND NETWORK- 
ING SYSTEMS 



HI-TEK PGS AVT TAXAN IBM AMDEK HERCULES GENOA PARADISE TEAC TOSHIBA HARDWARE/SOFTWARE 
NETWORKING HAYS AST JRAM HI-TEK PGS AVT TAXAN AMDEK HERCULES GENOA PARADISE TEAC TOSHIBA 



PLEASE ALLOW ONE WEEK 
FOR SHIPPING 



VISA, 
MASTERCHARGE 



TELEX: 272006 Answer Back-TECH FAX: 714/556-8325 




TECH PERSONAL COMPUTERS 

2131 South Hathaway, Santa Ana, California 92705 



714/754-1170 



©1985 TECH PC 



Inquiry 349 for End-Users. Inquiry 350 for DEALERS ONLY. 



•IBM. IBM PC. XT; and AT are registered trademarks of International 'Hercules is a registered trademark of Hercules Computer 
Business Machines Corp Technology 



Inquiry 387 



MULTIPLE MANIPULATORS 



The Lehigh arm 
has seven degrees 
of freedom. 



mathematical theory of manufactur- 
ing-system building and to develop 
implementations that realize these 
theoretical systems. The long-term 
goal is to develop a general approach 
to classification of the capabilities of 
manufacturing devices and then ex- 
tend the dual-arm analysis and syn- 
thesis philosophies to allow synthesis 
of multiclass machine work-cell tasks. 
The ultimate goal of this and related 
research is to develop the mathemat- 
ical tools and system-implementation 
techniques needed to automatically 
synthesize an entire facility's produc- 
tion schedule in direct response to 
customer demand, even when (espe- 
cially when) the customer demands 
only one custom part. This implies 
that, with only a customer's descrip- 
tion of the part, the facility resources 
are automatically allocated and con- 
trol programs are generated (synthe- 
sized) and executed, resulting in the 
economical production of that one 
custom part. 

Conclusions 

In order to implement a manufactur- 
ing system with the flexibility required 
for future production, we must first 
develop a fundamental understanding 
of manufacturing-device coordination 
in conjunction with the necessary sys- 
tem analysis and synthesis tools to 
achieve this device coordination. 

The direct results of dual-arm 
robotic research will be readily ap- 
plicable to many manufacturing tasks. 
More important, the overall knowl- 
edge obtained by studying the dual- 
arm system will be applied toward 
developing a general theory of struc- 
tural analysis and synthesis for flexi- 
ble, modular manufacturing systems. 

We have begun the ambitious 
undertaking of developing such a 
general theory. To date, Lehigh has im- 
plemented a sensory-control and 



modeling system based on the NBS 
philosophy of hierarchical real-time 
system control. In addition, we have 
implemented a data-communications 
network and distributed the low-level 
and high-level control of a dual-arm 
cooperating pick-and-place robot, and 
we are in the process of duplicating 
this control for the pair of Lehigh- 
designed, dual seven-degrees-of- 
freedom arms described above. 

Many of the high-level control 
strategies are in the feasibility phase 
of development and thus offer only 
rudimentary capabilities. They were 
developed to demonstrate the co- 
operation of two arms in an overlap- 
ping workspace for the "simple" tasks 
involved in pick-and-place operations. 
The implementations allow more 
general study of the sophistication re- 
quired of the high-level coordination 
mechanisms needed for flexible, au- 
tonomous, multidevice manufacturing 
systems. ■ 

BIBLIOGRAPHY 

Albus, J. S.. A. J. Barbera. and R. N. Nagel. 
"Theory and Practice of Hierarchical 
Control." Proceedings of the 23rd IEEE Com- 
puter Society International Conference. 
September 1981. 

Barbera. A. J., J. S. Albus. M. L. Fitzgerald, 
and L. S. Haynes. "RCS: The NBS Real- 
Time Control System." Detroit Ml: 
Robots 8 Conference and Exposition, 
June 1984. 

Jones. A. I, andC. R. McLean. "A Cell Con- 
trol for the AMRF." ASME Conference. 
August 1984. 

Nagel, R. N. "Robots: Not Yet Smart 
Enough." IEEE Spectrum, May 1983, pages 
78-83. 

Nagel. R. N. "State of the Art and Predic- 
tions for Artificial Intelligence and 
Robotics." in Robotics and Artificial In- 
telligence. M. Brady. L. A. Gerhardt, and 
H. F. Davidson, eds. Berlin: Springer- 
Verlag NATO ASI Series. 1984. 

Nagel. R. N., and S. R. Garrigan. "An 
Analysis of Robot Software and Plans for 
Its Enhancement." #85-001 Joint Report 
Series, Manufacturing Systems Engineer- 
ing Program. CDMI. & NET Ben Franklin 
Technology Center, Lehigh University 
June 1985. 

Scott, H.. and K. Strouse. "Workstation 
Control in a Computer Integrated Manu- 
facturing System," Proceedings of Autofact 6. 
October 1984. 



PC/XT, iff 

compatible 



* Complete and tested system * 

i d* •» d\ r~ 8088 CPU > 256KB/ i 

2 2K At I 1 Pw mU ,8 slots, 130W 2 
* < f F r| v f'| P.S..2FDD&FDC * 

* \Jt/tJ keyboard * 
• * 

* 8088 CPU, 640KB * 

* RAM, 8 slots, 130W • 

* d» F^ i\ f" P.&, 2FDD &FDC, • 
*tb /LIrv RrlHGamePort,* 
■^ t M ^"fl 1 Ser Port, clock/cal- + 
+ W %J %J endar, battery, key- + 

• board • 

* AT compat- * 

* ible, 80286* 

* ^ >-* — ~ CPU ' 1MB * 
*«1'OrA RAM, 16MB • 

* v I 5v *~\ 1 1 FDD > l92W * 

* -"* v ^ v v HDC, key-* 
^ board ^ 

i AT compat- i 

ible, 80286 ^7 

* CPU, 1MB * 
2&Cknf\r" RAM, 16MB* 

* JK V / IJK FDD < 192W * 

*t/I *f I! PS., 20MB* 

* U I 1/1/ Hard Disk, * 

* FDC&HDC,* 

* Ser/ParCard,* 
^ keyboard ^ 

* • 
^ Other add-ons, monitor, etc. ^ 

^ are available ^ 

* Monochrome $ 65 * 

J Color/graphic $80 J 

^ Monographic & printer $ 90 ^ 

* Color/graphic & printer $ 95 * 

* 384KB multifunction $ 90 * 

* :20MB hard disk & controller $495 * 

* 10MB hard disk & controller $410 * 

* 8087 $115 ^ 

* CPU motherboard $150 * 

^ TERMS: Cashier's check or money order, * 

^ personal check requires 2 wk clearance. ^ 
. Checks must include an address and 

« phone number, no unminted checks. *W 

•^ California residents add 7% sales tax. JL 



COMPUWORLD 

1180 E. Miraloma Way 
Sunnyvale, CA 94086 

(408) 749-9935 



JANUARY 1986 • BYTE 219 



THE CMO ADVANTAGE 



• THE BEST PRICES! 

>s Next day shipping on all in stock 
items, 

>s Free easy access order inquiry. 

s Orders from outside 

Pennsylvania save state sales 

tax. 

s Free technicial support with our 
factory trained technical staff. 

• There is no limit and no deposit 
on C.O.D. orders. 

S There's no extra charge for 
using your credit card. Your card 
is not charged until we ship. 

• No waiting period for cashiers 
checks. 

s We accept purchase orders from 
qualified corporations. Subject to 
approval. 

s Educational discounts available 
to qualified institutions. 

• FREE CATALOG MEMBERSHIP 



HOME COMPUTERS 



MODEMS 




Inquiry 77 
SHIPPING 

Add 3°/o, minimum $5.00 shipping 
and handling on all orders. Larger 
shipments may require additional 
charges. 

All items subject to availability and 
price change. 

Returned shipments may be sub- 
ject to a restocking fee. 



1-800-268-4559 

Other Provinces 

1-416-828-0866 

In Toronto 

TELEX: 06-218960 

2505 Dunwin Drive, 

Mississauga, Ontario 

Canada L5L1T1 

All prices shown are for U.S.A. 

orders. 

Call The Canadian Office for 

Canadian prices. 




ATARI 

130XE (128K) CALL 

520ST (512K) CALL 

800XL 64K CALL 

1010 Recorder $49.99 

1050 Disk Drive CALL 

1027 Letter Quality Printer $209.00 

1030 Direct Connect Modem $59.99 

Software Specials 

8036 Atari Writer $24.99 

Star Raiders $4.99 

Missile Command $4.99 

Defender $4.99 

Galaxian $4.99 

Asteroids S4.99 

Centipede $4.99 

Robotron ..$4.99 

Eastern Front $4.99 

SynCalc $19.99 

SynFile .....$19.99 

VisiCalc $39.99 

APPLE 

APPLE lie CALL 

APPLE lie CALL 

MaclNTOSH CALL 

lie LCD Display CALL 

HAYDEN 

Art Grabber $31.99 

Home Design $49.99 

Media Works $63.99 

PALADIN 

Crunch 512 $189.00 

fz. commodore 

C128 Computer S269.00 

C1571 (Disk Drive for C128) SNEW 

C1902 (RGB 13" Monitor for C128J....SNEW 

C1670 (Modem for C128) SNEW 

CBM 64 $149.00 

C1541 Disk Drive $199.00 

C1530 Datasette $39.99 

M-801 Dot Matrix Printer $169.00 

MCS 803 Dot Matrix $179.00 

C1702 Color Monitor $189.00 

C1660 Auto Modem $59.99 

DPS 1101 Daisy Printer $339.00 



PORTABLE COMPUTERS 



K!tLm PACKARD 

41CV $189.99 

41CX $249.99 

HP 71B $419.99 

HP 11C $62.99 

HP 12C/15C/16C $89.99 

HP 75D $949.00 

HPIL Module $98.99 

HPIL Cassette or Printer $359.99 

Card Reader ...$143.99 

Extended Function Module $63.99 

Time Module $63.99 

We stock the full line of 
HP calculator products 

NEC 

PC-8401 CALL 

PC-8201 Portable Computer.. ..$309.00 

PC-8231 Disk Drive $599.00 

PC-8221A Thermal Printers $149.00 

PC-8281A Data Recorder $99.99 

PC-8201-06 8K RAM Chips $105.00 

SHARP 

PC-1350..... $159.99 

PC-1261 $159.99 

PC-1260 $109.99 

PC-1500A 3 1 05.99 

PC-1250A $88.99 

CE-125 Printer/Cassette $128.99 

CE-150 Color Printer Cassette.$171.99 
CE-161 16K RAM $134.99 



ATARI 520-ST 
SOFTWARE 

SIERRA ON LINE 

Ultima II $39.99 

Gato $29.99 

INFOCOM„ 

Zork I. II. Ill (ea.) $29.99 

Hitchiker's Guide $29.99 

Wishbringer $29.99 

Suspended $37.99 

HABA 

Hippo-C '■ $49.99 

MIRAGE CONCEPTS 

Express $34.99 

ST-Toolbox CALL 

MARK OF THE UNICORN 

Final Word $94.99 

Hex $29.99 

PC Intercom $89.99 

MINDSCAPE 
Halley Project _ $34.99 

Macintosh Software 

Lotus Jazz CALL 

Microsoft Excel *.... $259.00 

Living Videotext 

ThinkTank 512 $159.00 

Manhatten Ready, Set, Go $79.99 

Crelghton Development 

Mac Spell $69.99 

Monogram Dollars & Sense. ...$99.99 
Peachtree Back to Basics - GL$109.00 
PFS File & Report (New V«*sion)$1 19.00 
Silicon Beach Airborn $25. 9S 

Professional Software 

Fleet System II w/SpelL'(128)... $49.99 

Trivia Fever ~. $29.99 

Word Pro 4 Plus/5 Plus each. ..$239.00 

Info Pro $179.00 

BRODERBUND 

The Print Shop w $29.99 

Music Shop $29.99 

File (64) $49.99 

BATTE«esfc^e4:uJG£D 

PaperClip w/Spell Pack $79.99 

The Consultant DBMS $69.99 

Bus Card II $139.00 

80 Col Display ™ $129.00 

maxell 

3V 2 " SS/DD .TT. $24.99 

3Vz" DS/DD $39.99 

5V4" MD-1 w/Hardcases $14.99 

5V4" MD-2 w/Hardcases $19.99 

5V4" MD-2-HD for AT $39.99 

3Vz" 5 pack $15.99 

M Verbatim. 

5V* " SS/DD ^ $19.99 

5V* " DS/DD $24.99 

Disk Analyzer $24.99 

SI 

Elephant 3 1 / 2 " SS/DD $29.99 

Elephant W SS/SD $13.99 

Elephant 5V*" SS/DD $15.99 

Elephant bW DS/DD $16.99 

Elephant Premium DS/DCT. $22.99 

5 1 /j" DS/DD floppy disks 

(Box of 10) ! rr. $26.99 

DISK HOLDERS 

INNOVATIVE CONCEPTS 

Flip-in-File 10 $3.99 

Flip-in-File 50 $17.99 

Flip-in-File 50 w/lock $24.99 

Flip-in-File (400/800 ROM) $11.99 

Flip-in-File 100 $24.99 

AMARAY 

50 Disk Tub 5Vk n $9.99 

30 Disk Tub 3Vi" „. $8.99 



DISKETTES 



ANCHOR 

Volksmodem $59.99 

Volksmodem 300/1200 $189.99 

Signalman Express $299.00 

Lightning 2400 Baud $399.00 

DIGITAL DEVICES 

AT300 - 300 Baud (Atari) $99.99 

(B Hayes 

Smartmodem 300 $139.00 

Smartmodem 1200 $389.00 

Smartmodem 1200B $359.00 

Smartmodem 2400 $599.00 

Micromodem He $149.00 

Smart Com II $89.99 

Chronograph $199.00 

Transet 1000 $309.00 

Reach 1200 Baud Half Card.. ..$399.00 

niPP miCROBITS 

MPP-1064 AD/AA (C-64) $69.99 

|Novationgg 

Smart Cat Plus $319.00 

J-Cat $99.99 

Novation 2400 $499.00 

Apple Cat II $229.00 

212 Apple Cat II $379.00 

Apple Cat 212 Upgrade $229.00 

Macmodem $319.00 

Quadmodem II 

300/1200 $339.00 

300/1200/2400 $499.00 

TELELEARNING 

C64 300 Baud (Closeout) $39.99 



GRAPHICS 



■Polaroid 

Palette $1299.00 



DRIVES 



HARD 

[•MEGA' 

10 meg Bernoulli Box $1899.00 

20 meg Bernoulli Box $2599.00 

5 meg "MacNoulli" $1499.00 

fTALLGRASS 
TECHNOLOGIES 
COMMiHFDlOMfMf »■ 

25, 35, 50, 80 meg (PC) 
from $1299.00 

IRWIN 

Tape Backup CALL 

^^VEREX- 

60 Meg Internal Backup System$829.00 

U-SCI 

10 meg Internal IBM $399.00 

20 meg Internal IBM $549.00 

FLOPPY 

INDUS 

Atari GT $219,00 

C-64 GT $229.00 

MICRO SCI 

A1.5 Apple $179.00 

A2 Apple $179.00 

SD1 C-64 Single $219.00 

SD2 C-64 Dual $469.00 

I and on 

320K 5V4" (PC) $109.00 

TEAC 

320K 5V«" $109.00 



MONITORS 



yQMDEK 

Video 300 Green $129.00 

Video 300A Amber $139.00 

Video 310A Amber TTL $169.00 

Color 300 Composite $179.00 

Color 500 Composite/RGB $289.00 

Color 600 Hi-Res. RGB $399.00 

Color 710 Ultra Hi-Res $489.00 

Color 722 Dual Mode $549.00 

SEC 

JB 1260 Green $59.99 

JB 1201/1205 (ea.) $99.99 

JB 1270 Green/1275 $119.00 

JB 1275 Amber $119.00 

JB 1280 G TTL/1285 A TTL $149.00 

JC 1410 RGB $669.00 

JC 1225 Composite $179.00 

PRINCETON 

MAX-12E Amber $179.00 

HX-9 9" RGB $469.00 

HX-9E Enhanced $519.00 

HX-12 12" RGB $469.00 

HX-12E Enhanced $559.00 

SR-12 Hi-Res $599.00 

*XAXaW 

115 12" Green $119.00 

116 12" Amber $129.00 

121 TTL Green $139.00 

122 TTL Amber ..$149.00 

610 510x200 RGB $NEW 

620 640x200 RGB $NEW 

630 640x200 RGB $NEW 

640 720x400 RGB $NEW 

8400 Quadchrome I $499,00 

8410 Quadchrome II $339,00 

8420 Amberchrome $179.00 

8500 Quad Screen $149.00 

ZVM 1220/1230 (ea.) $99.99 

ZVM 1240 IBM Amber $149.00 

ZVM 130 Color $269.00 

ZVM 131 Color $249,00 

ZVM 133 RGB $429.00 

ZVM 135 RGB/Color $459.00 

ZVM 136 RGB/Color $599.00 



INTERFACES 



/isr 

Multi I/O (Apple II) $159.00 

MMmACTJCAL 

Graphcard $79.99 

Seriall Card $99.99 

Microbuffer II + $169.00 

Microbuffer 32K $189.00 

QUADRAN^ 

Microfazer from $139.00 

Efazer (Epson) from $79.99 

^Orange micr o 

Grappler CD (C64) $89.99 

Grappler + (Apple) $89.99 

Grappler 16K + (Apple) $159.00 

DIGITAL DEVICES 

Ape Face (Atari) $49.99 

U-Print A (Atari) $54.99 

U-A16/Buffer (Atari) $74.99 

U-Call Interface (Atari) $39.99 

U-Print C (C64) $49.99 

P-16 Print Buffer $74.99 

U-Print 16 apple He $89.99 



PRINTERS 



Canon 

A40 CALL 

LBP-8A1 Laser. CALL 

^CITIZEN 

MSP-10 (80 col.) $279.00 

MSP-15 (132 col.) $389.00 

MSP-20 (80 col.) $349.00 

MSP-25 (132 col.) $509.00 

citoh 

Prowriter 7500 $219.00 

Prowriter 8510 NLQ $329.00 

Prowriter 1550P $449.00 

Starwriter 10-30 $459.00 

corona 

Lazer LP-300 $2799.00 

DIABLO 

D25 Daisywheel $549.00 

630-109 Daisywheel $1749.00 

D80IF Daisywheel CALL 

d-feywriter 

2000 $749.00 

EPSON 

Homewriter 10, LX-80, LX-90 CALL 

FX-85, FX-185, RX-100, JX-80 CALL 

DX-10, DX-20, DX-35, LQ-1500....CALL 

SQ-2000, Hi-80, HS-80, AP-80 CALL 

Epson/Comrex 220-Atari $89.99 

JUKI 

6000 Letter Quality CALL 

6100 Letter Quality CALL 

6200 Letter Quality CALL 

6300 Letter Quality CALL 

5510 CALL 

LEGEND 

808 Dot Matrix 100 cps $179.00 

1080 Dot Matrix 100 cps $259,00 

1380 Dot Matrix 130 cps $289.00 

1385 Dot Matrix 165 cps $339.00 

SEC 

8027 Transportable $229,00 

3000 Series $1099.00 

8000 Series $1449,00 

ELF 360 $449.00 

Pinwriter 560 $999.00 

OKIDATA 

182, 183, 192, 193, 2410, 84 CALL 

Okimate 10 (Specify C64/Atari)$189.00 
Okimate 20 (IBM) CALL 

Panasonic 

KX1080 $NEW 

KX1091 $259.00 

KX1092 $389.00 

KX1093 $479.00 

Quadjet $399.00 

Quad Laser CALL 

^ SILYE«-REEO 

500 Letter Quality $279.00 

550 Letter Quality $419.00 

770 Letter Quality $759.00 

SG-10C (C64 Interface) CALL 

SB/SD/SG/SR Series CALL 

Powertype Letter Quality. CALL 

Texas Instruments 

TI850 $529.00 

TI855 $639.00 

TI865 $799.00 

TOSHIBA 

1340 (80 column) $589.00 

P341 (132 column) $989.00 

P351 (132 column) $1149.00 



PC COMPATIBLES Inquiry 



IBM PC SYSTEMS 

Configured to your 

specification. 
Call for Best Price! 

IBM-PC, IBM-PC II, IBM-XT, IBM-AT 



SOFTWARE FOR IBM 



KP-2000 Portable CALL 

ASHTONTATE 

Framework II CALL 

dBase III $369.00 

BORLAND 

Turbo Pascal 3.0 $49.99 

Sidekick (unprotected) $59.99 

Reflex $79.99 

CENTRAL POINT 

Copy II PC-Backup $29.99 

DECISION RESOURCES 

Chartmaster $229.00 

Signmaster $169.00 

Diagram Master $219.00 

ENERTRONICS 

Energraphics/Plot $289.00 

FOX & GELLER 

Quickcode III $169.00 

FUNK SOFTWARE 

Sideways $39.99 

HARVARD SOFTWARE 

Total Project Manager $269.00 

INFOCOM 

Cornerstone $279.00 

LIFETREE 

Volkswriter Deluxe $159.00 

LIVING VIDEOTEXT 

Think Tank $109.00 

Ready $64.99 

LOTUS 

Symphony CALL 

1-2-3 CALL 

MECA SOFTWARE 

Managing Your Money 2.0 $109.00 

MICROSTUF SOFTWARE 

Crosstalk XVI $89.99 

Crosstalk Mark IV $149.00 

Remote $89.99 

MICRORIM SOFTWARE 

R:Base 4000 $249.00 

R:Base 5000 $389.00 

Clout 2.0 $129.00 

MICROPRO 

WordStar 2000 $249.00 

WordStar 2000 + $299.00 

WordStar Professional $299.00 

Easy $99.99 

MICROSOFT 

Word $229.00 

Mouse $139.00 

Flight Simulator $39.99 

MultiPlan $129.00 

MULTIMATE 

Advantage $299.00 

Multi Mate Word Proc $249.00 

On File $94.99 

Just Write $94.99 

NOUEMENON 

Intuit $69.99 

NORTON 

Norton Utilities 3.0 $59.99 

ONE STEP 

Golf's Best $39.99 

PEACHTREE SOFTWARE 

Peachtext 5000 $179.00 

PFSrIBM 

First Success $218.00 

File/Graph (ea.) $79.99 

Report $74.99 

Write/Proof Combo $79.99 

PROFESSIONAL SOFTWARE 

Wordplus-PC w/Boss $249.00 

THE SOFTWARE GROUP 

Enable $259.00 

SATELLITE SYSTEMS 

Word Perfect 4.1 $219.00 

SORCIM/IUS 
Accounting 

AP/AR/GL/INV/OE (ea.) $295.00 

SuperCalc III $195.00 

EasyWriter II System $195.00 

Super Project $195.00 

SPI SOFTWARE 

Open Access $379.00 

SUBLOGIC 

Jet $39.99 

5th GENERATION 
Fast Back $119.00 



PC-138 Series CALL 

PC-148 Series CALL 

PC-158 Series ,.CALL 

PC-160 Series CALL 

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THE TECHNICAL SOFTWARE SOURCE 



222 B YTE • JANUARY 1986 



Inquiry 188 



ROBOTICS 



AUTONOMOUS 

ROBOT 

NAVIGATION 

by Charles Jorgensen, William Hamel, and Charles Weisbin 



MOST COMMERCIAL robotic systems 
depend heavily on the fact that their 
job environments are well known and 
change only in prescribed ways. 
Generally when navigation is re- 
quired, the environment rather than 
the robot is designed to accom- 
modate movement. We can keep 
paths of movement open, pre- 
position assembly lines, preplace 
parts, and reduce variations and un- 
known factors. 

When we relax such restrictions, 
however, we must increase the robot's 
capabilities to compensate for un- 
predictability in the environment. 
Thus, the first step toward generalized 
mobility is to add sensors to provide 
data so that the environment and the 
internal state of the robot can be 
determined prior to any decisions. In 
this instance, because the spatial rela- 
tionships between the robot and the 
world are no longer predetermined, 
two questions immediately arise. First, 
what does the world map look like? 
This requires some form of sensor 
mapping. Second, where is the robot 
at any given moment relative to that 
world? This is called self-location. 



Teaching robots to look 
before they leap 



Because both robot position and 
environment may change in real-world 
problems, an advanced autonomous 
robot must be capable of answering 
both questions. Until recently, exper- 
iments in autonomous navigation 
have focused primarily on robot en- 
vironment mapmaking rather than on 
the self -location problem. As a result, 
even though the experimental en- 
vironment could change in minor 
ways, it usually contained a fixed ref- 
erence point that the robot sensors 
could detect and use to calculate self- 
location. For example, self-location 
has been calculated by homing on a 
single point such as a radio source, 
following a path like a magnetic floor 
tape, using triangulation on infrared 
emitters (reference 1), or sighting 
specially constructed optical land- 
marks. 

Commercial applications such as in- 
plant mail delivery have used such 
systems to a limited extent, but they 
are not practical for unplanned situa- 
tions like military land-vehicle opera- 
tion or emergency repair of nuclear 
power plant components. For these 
situations, a robot needs to construct 



temporary references instead of rely- 
ing on known references. An example 
of a temporary reference is using a 
landmark such as a tall building to 
orient streets and buildings. 

The Find-Path Problem 

Once a robot has determined a refer- 
ence point and used its sensors to 
generate a map of the external en- 
vironment, it must select control al- 
gorithms associated with movement. 
That is, it must find a path to its goal. 
The so-called find-path problem, 
which has been carefully studied in 
robotics, can be stated as follows: 
Given an object with an initial location 
and a set of obstacles whose spatial 
location is known, find a continuous 
path from the initial position to the 
goal that avoids collision with 
obstacles along the way. Researchers 

[continued] 

Drs. Charles ]orgensen, William Hamel and 
Charles VJeisbin are involved in research and 
development of robots and artificial intelligence 
at the Center for Engineering Systems Ad- 
vanced Research of the Oak Ridge National 
laboratory (POB X, Oak Ridge. TN 
37831). 

JANUARY 1986 • BYTE 223 



NAVIGATION 



have proposed a variety of ap- 
proaches to solving this problem. 

One approach, called the configura- 
tion-space method by Lozano-Perez 
(reference 2), divides a navigation 
space into zones that the reference 
point of a robot can occupy without 
the robot colliding with any obstacles. 
Paths are then defined for the refer- 
ence point that makes maximum use 
of the open area between the refer- 
ence point and a specified goal. For 
example, to define the configuration 
space, Moravec's Rover (reference 3) 
bounded all obstacles with circles that 
were enlarged to assure clearances 
for the robot edges. Paths were then 
calculated as tangents to these circles. 
In the context of robot manipulators, 
Udupa (reference 4) chose to bound 
the obstacles with complex polyhedra. 

Other approaches involve either 
local or global navigation strategies. 
Local navigation deals with immediate 
problems of obstacle avoidance, 
whereas global navigation considers 
larger regional information like the 
plan of a building or long-term goals. 
For example, Crowley (reference 5) de- 
scribed global path planning in terms 
of previously stored networks of 
places. He defined global navigation 
as traversals along "legal highways" in 
known areas, with local movement 
based primarily on avoidance pro- 
cedures using sensors. 

Recently, there has been an interest 
in merging exploration and learning. 
Learning has been considered in 
other aspects of robotics, such as ma- 
nipulator movement (reference 6), but 
has only recently been applied to 
navigation control (reference 7). The 
many factors involved in exploratory 
robot navigation make it useful to 
have a conceptual framework to 
discuss the points. We will now con- 
sider one such framework, based on 
some well-known human explorers. 

Exploration 

Navigation in unknown territory im- 
plies that a robot is going to en- 
counter unexpected situations. The 
robot will have to surmount problems 
such as how to avoid obstacles. There 
will also be serendipitous discoveries 




Figure 1 : A simple robotic obstacle- 
course floor map. The red lines represent 
the bloomed obstacle diameters, blue 
indicates projected path lines, and green 
identifies the shortest path. 

that can be exploited. Such situations 
are common for all explorers, whether 
mortals or machines, lb clarify the 
issues involved, let us consider three 
well-known explorers and their labors 
and how they relate to autonomous 
robot navigation. 

We will begin by comparing a 
mobile robot to Ferdinand Magellan, 
the British cartographer whose map- 
making consolidated a disordered 
16th century world into sets of well- 
ordered countries and coasts. Next, 
we will consider the less structured 
world of Christopher Columbus navi- 
gating toward unknown territory. 
Finally, we will examine the mythical 
hero Ulysses as he contends with the 
whims of the gods who change his 
world and throw dangers in his path. 

Our explorer will be HERMIES II, a 
small mobile robot at Oak Ridge Na- 
tional Laboratory, as he navigates 
around the laboratory at the Center 
for Engineering Systems Advanced 
Research (CESAR). 

Magellan 

Magellan was interested primarily in 
the accurate circumnavigation of the 
world in which he traveled. He there- 
fore prepared detailed maps from bits 
and pieces of geographic information 
gathered from many sources. He syn- 
thesized this information into a spatial 



map that reduced the three-dimen- 
sional real world into scaled distances 
between objects characterized in two- 
dimensional Cartesian projections. 

When used by an experienced navi- 
gator, the maps of Magellan per- 
mitted the accurate selection of 
proper headings and destination 
points and minimized travel distances. 
In the same way that Magellan orga- 
nized the world into maps and used 
that information for path planning, a 
robot must be able to use spatial 
maps of the environment to select 
destinations and minimize the ex- 
penditure of resources when seeking 
goals. 

At the Magellan level, we assume 
that information about the spatial 
characteristics of the environment is 
suitably stored in computer memory 
and accessible to the robot-control al- 
gorithms. Given known obstacle loca- 
tions that make straight-line traversal 
impossible, the robot's task becomes 
one of finding the best path to a goal 
destination. If necessary, the robot 
may need to turn and maneuver in 
tight spaces, dead-end corridors, or 
mazes. Such situations often occur in 
real-world environments such as large 
industrial plants or buildings. 

Figure 1 shows a sample room with 
two obstacles placed between a robot 
and a goal point. The dark borders of 
the obstacles represent a two-dimen- 
sional projection of the three-dimen- 
sional object shapes. Because the 
exact locations of obstacles are 
known, navigation could be per- 
formed as follows: A line is projected 
from the robot to the goal. If the path 
is clear, the robot uses the line to 
calculate an angle of turn and travel 
distance using the Pythagorean 
theorem. 

However, such a simple algorithm 
could result in problems. For one 
thing, we have made no allowance for 
the width of the robot, and it may col- 
lide with edges of obstacles. Conse- 
quently, a robust algorithm must take 
into account required clearances due 
to all sources of potential imprecision. 
Second, if a straight line is not reason- 
able, the robot requires a procedure 

[continued) 



224 B YTE • JANUARY 1986 



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NAVIGATION 



The piano-mover 
problem considers both 
rotation and translation. 



for obtaining other paths and select- 
ing one from among the intermediate 
choices, much as a traveler would 
select intermediate stops on the way 
to a destination. This kind of situation 
is an instance of the find-path 
problem. 

One way to implement a find-path 
algorithm is shown in figure 1 . Here, 
the known boundaries of the ob- 
stacles are enlarged ("bloomed") by 
an amount equal to one-half the dia- 
meter of the robot plus an extra 
amount for uncertainty associated 
with the robot's actual position. At the 
same time, the robot is mathematical- 
ly shrunk to a single point. If some ob- 
ject obstructs a straight-line path to 
the goal, hypothetical lines are drawn 
from that point to each of the vertices 
(edges) of the expanded obstacles in 
direct line of sight of the robot. From 
each of those points, new lines are 
drawn to each vertex of the obstacles 
in their line of sight, and so on, until 
a line of sight from some vertex to the 
goal has been obtained. 

All paths from the robot's current 



position to the goal are converted into 
a graph of nodes and edges where 
each edge is a path segment. Finding 
the best path consists of examining 
path lengths from the start node to 
the finish and selecting the shortest 
sequence. Optimal solutions for such 
find-path problems have been devel- 
oped that permit the answer to be ob- 
tained very efficiently, such as the A* 
algorithm used in the artificial intel- 
ligence community for the search of 
decision graphs. Moravec used the 
approach of projecting three-dimen- 
sional shapes onto two-dimensional 
surfaces and calculating tangential 
paths as a method of navigation plan- 
ning for the Mars Rover. 

When the available movement cor- 
ridors are very narrow, the robot 
needs more complex algorithms to 
calculate its rotations. This class of 
path planning has been called the 
"piano-mover problem" (reference 8). 

In the simple find-path problem 
above, we treated the robot as a point 
rather than a polygonal body with 
unequal dimensions and appendages 
into the navigation space. Such an ap- 
proach will work if there is plenty of 
maneuvering room. In the case of the 
piano-mover problem, the corridors 
the robot will traverse may narrow so 
that the robot must rotate to squeeze 
through clearances the way a piano 
mover must make turns and rotations 




CRITICAL CURVE 

FOR VERTEX X ROTATION 



ROTATE 



Figure 2: The piano-mover problem. 



to climb stairs, go through doors, or 
go around corners. 

The complexity comes from the fact 
that, in addition to finding a con- 
tinuous motion that will take a robot 
from a given initial position to a final 
position, the robot is subject to 
geometric constraints during the mo- 
tion. The constraints do not permit 
any part of the irregular robot body 
to come into contact with obstacle 
edges or walls. 

You can simplify the task by impos- 
ing restrictions on the range of al- 
lowed robot motions, such as insisting 
that the robot move in a fixed orien- 
tation or that the change of orienta- 
tion can occur not more than once 
during a path traversal, but in general 
the problem is approached as follows. 

Each corner of the robot chassis 
outline is labeled and treated as an 
axis around which the robot can 
rotate. The map of the navigation area 
is divided into regions of open space 
formed by the intersections of the 
lines connecting the objects, room 
walls, and corners. Each region is 
separated from the other in terms of 
"critical curves" that are created by 
the set of points generated when each 
vertex of the robot outline is placed 
at an intersection point of two re- 
gions, and the robot is rotated around 
that axis until an intersection occurs 
with region boundaries. 

The set of intersecting curves 
formed for all the robot vertices com- 
poses a finite connectivity graph that 
contains all possible boundary-cross- 
ing rotations of the robot. Algorithms 
are then applied to this connectivity 
graph to select a "path" consisting of 
axis rotations that permit the robot to 
cross from one region to another. In 
figure 2, the robot is represented by 
a triangle and the corridor to be navi- 
gated is bent at an angle. To traverse 
the boundary, the robot must turn 
right at the first boundary area and 
move backward down the corridor to 
fit through. 

With the current state of robot so- 
phistication, other factors can over- 
shadow such tight maneuvers in real- 
life situations. These factors lead us 

{continued) 



226 B YTE • JANUARY 1986 



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NAVIGATION 



to the next level of navigational com- 
plexity, the exploration of Columbus. 

Columbus 

In the navigation of Magellan, the 
world map existed. Travel involved 
finding the best path to a goal. Co- 
lumbus faced a different problem. He 
knew roughly where he wanted to go, 
but he had little or no information as 
to what he would encounter along the 
way. 

Since others felt he might sail off the 
edge of the world, it was important 
that he create a detailed record of his 
journey as he went. The voyage was 
filled with both perils and great dis- 
coveries to record. For an autono- 
mous robot, such situations occur 
with obstacle avoidance and world 
mapping through sensors. 

Robotic sensors come in many 
types and include monoscopic and 
stereoscopic vision systems, fixed and 
mobile sonar range finders, laser 
range finders, touch sensors, stress 
and torque sensors, and collision 
detectors. For navigation, the most 
often sought sensor data is used for 
edge detection. 

Vision systems usually encode pic- 
tures as matrices of gray-scale pixels 
that are connected through gradient- 
seeking algorithms that consider re- 
flectivity, texture, and shading to pro- 
duce skeletal representations of the 
scene objects. The skeletal edges are 
then used to direct turn angles or 
grasping orientations of end effectors. 
Using multiple cameras simultaneous- 
ly permits the estimation of distances 
through optical parallax. 

Lasar range finders allow precise 
location of edges and can be used in 
conjuction with other sensors such as 
those for vision. Touch sensors per- 
mit obstacle avoidance through edge 
following and work well if the objects 
are not highly irregular. Sonar sensors 
are widely used in robotics naviga- 
tion. For a discussion of the nature 
and limitations of this kind of sensor, 
see the text box "Sonar Sensors" on 
page 230. 

When the approximate locations of 
obstacles have been determined, the 
navigation algorithms use the sensor- 









IN 

i \ 


\ 
\ 
\ 
\ 




i \ 
l L 
i V 

1 

A 

ROBOT 


\ 


INTO DEAD-END 
\ CORRIDORS 

V BLOCKED PATH 

s TO GOAL 

GOAL 



Figure 3: A simple maze that 
demonstrates the need for memory in 
Columbus-level navigation. 

generated map to determine admiss- 
ible paths much like the Magellan ex- 
ample. The situation is more compli- 
cated, though, because of the uncer- 
tainty that is introduced by sensor 
errors, fuzzy object shapes, and im- 
precise destination areas. Depending 
upon what the robot finds on the way, 
it may not be possible to reach a goal, 
and numerous unplanned changes in 
course may be required. It is also no 
longer possible to guarantee that the 
robot is taking the most efficient path 
to a goal any more than Columbus 
could guarantee that he had selected 
the best route to an unexplored 
continent. 

When the environment is only par- 
tially known, new issues must be con- 
sidered that would not occur with a 
complete world map. Just as Colum- 
bus could sail into closed lagoons, a 
robot can encounter dead-end cor- 
ridors and mazes when exploring. A 
maze might be generated by rows of 
boxes, outdoor canyons, or tangled 
equipment and can result in a tele- 
operated robot getting choked by its 
own power cord. In contrast to Co- 
lumbus, it is not always easy for a 
robot to determine that it is in a dead- 
end situation. 

Figure 3 shows a maze problem. 
Suppose the robot were given a con- 
trol algorithm like the following: 

When in a new area, first turn 
toward the location of the goal 



you wish to reach. l£ke a sonar 
reading to see if the path is clear. 
If the path is clear, then move. If 
it is not, take the first open path 
on either side of the line you 
would have taken if the path had 
been clear. Go one-half the dis- 
tance to the goal. When you arrive 
at that location, turn back toward 
the goal and repeat the process. 

At first glance, such a procedure ap- 
pears very sensible. The first clear 
path closest to an ideal straight line 
is always the one taken. The half- 
distance criterion assures that if the 
robot is far from the goal it will move 
rapidly to it, but it will take smaller, 
more careful moves the closer it gets. 

What, then, is wrong? The problem 
is that we have not given the robot an 
ability we take for granted. The robot 
has no memory. Look again at figure 
3. The robot's goal is directly on the 
other side of a wall. If the robot 
follows our initial algorithm, it will 
scan the corridor it is in and select the 
first open move halfway to the goal 
after about a 90-degree left turn. The 
robot will begin to move up the cor- 
ridor, away from the goal. After a 
short distance, the robot will be far 
enough from the goal so that it can 
travel half the distance by making a 
turn back toward the goal. 

What happens? The robot again 
moves into the dead-end corridor. 
Thus, without external memory, our 
explorer bounces around and never 
reaches the goal. With a memory, pre- 
viously explored blocked areas can 
be set off limits for a goal traversal so 
the robot is gradually squeezed out 
of dead-end situations. 

Of course, there are many ways we 
could deal with this problem. The real 
difficulty is assuring that a general- 
purpose navigation algorithm con- 
siders all the possible traps that can 
be generated by deficiencies in the 
robot. Subtle complexities can hide in 
seemingly simple situations, such as 
a need to consider multistep memory 
to avoid recursive loops, a need to ex- 
plicitly consider trading off distance 
traveled versus angle turned, and 

{continued) 



228 BYTE • JANUARY 1986 




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JANUARY 1986 • BYTE 229 



NAVIGATION 



Sonar sensors have proved par- 
ticularly useful in navigation 
research, largely because they are 
relatively inexpensive and able to 
grossly cover large areas more rapid- 
ly than detailed processing with visual 
systems. Nonetheless, their use in 
autonomous navigation does pose 
some problems. Figure A illustrates 
some of the properties that make 
"sonars" challenging for use in 
navigation. 

Most low-cost sonar devices function 
by sending a multifrequency or 
"chirped" sound pulse from a trans- 
ducer outward in a cone-shaped wave- 
front. The difference between the time 
of emission and return is then used to 
determine estimated distance cal- 
culated on the basis of how far the 
wave could travel in one-half the 
period. 
Real-world factors intervene when a 



Sonar Sensors 

robot uses that information to con- 
struct spatial distance maps from dif- 
ferent scanning positions. First, al- 
though not of great concern indoors, 
sonar is sensitive to temperature 
changes. Specifically, the speed of 
sound in air is proportional to the 
square root of the absolute tempera- 
ture in degrees Rankine (degrees 
Fahrenheit plus 460). If a sonar range 
detector is calibrated at a standard 
temperature S and the actual room 
temperature is A, then the actual 
distance traveled by the sound in the 
air is the square root of (460 + A) I 
(460 + S) times the estimated distance. 
Thus, if a sonar were calibrated at 80° F 
and the actual room temperature was 
60° F, a measured range of 35 feet 
would be overestimated by 7.8 inches 
(see table A). If that 7.8 inches over- 
lapped with the position of a solid ob- 
ject, the difference could provide a 




TRANSDUCER 
AND RECEIVER 




(I) 



(2) 





(3) 



(4) 



Figure A: Sonar problems. (I) Specular reflection, (2) false distance readings 
caused by reflection. (3) absorbancy. and (4) beam focusing. 



shocking experience for a moving 
robot. 

Another property of sound waves is 
that they exhibit specular reflection 
and interact with the texture of 
materials. This interaction was illus- 
trated one day in our laboratory when 
we were going to demonstrate a small 
mobile robot for some visitors and 
decided to give the obstacles colorful 
coats of shiny new paint. The high 
gloss was attractive to the human eye 
but also extremely reflective to sonar, 
so that if the obstacles were not hit 
almost head-on by a sonar beam they 
vanished from the sonar navigation 
maps. The result was that the robot 
often rammed into the objects instead 
of going around them. After trying 
cardboard, metal, and other coverings, 
we found that the highest specular 
reflection was provided by simple 
plastic bubble wrap. Visitors now see 























































OBJECT 
1 


ROBOT 
W 


I 

c 


1 
> FALSE 
\ REFLECT 
BOUNDAF 


ION ' 
Y 


CAN sjjf *S 
) 

-ransducer'- 

1 

DISTANCE 

1 




1 

O 

o 


J- FALSE 




o 
o 

o 
o. 


OO 


sbbopc 


1 

- -—EDGE 
"*h SMOOTH! 


NG 




PULSE 
FROM 


NARRO 
BEAM W 


WING 
IDTH 


O 
0- 


1 

-A SINGLE 










READI 


NJG 










■::0-< 


|| O 


o o 










*•" OVEN 

ESTIMATE 
OF WIDTH 



























Figure B: A sonar map of a room. 
Each grid is two feet square. 



230 BYTE • JANUARY 1986 



Inquiry 23 3 



NAVIGATION 



Table A: The equations of sonar in air. 



S = V K g HRT 



SPEED OF SOUND IN AIR 

Where 

S = speed of sound 

K g = gravitational constant 

H = ratio of specific heats of air at constant pressure to constant volume 

R = gas law constant for air 

T = absolute temperature 



D s 



^VS7 



ACTUAL DISTANCE 

Where 

D s = sonar-measured distance using the above formula 
A t = actual outside temperature 
S t = standard temperature 

SONAR-CALCULATED DISTANCE Vz tS 

Where 

t = time between sending and receiving sonar pulse 
S = speed of sound in air 



colorful boxes through a fat layer of 
bubble packing. Since robot designers 
can't bubble-pack the world, it is ob- 
vious that other sensor types must be 
used in conjunction with sonar for 
navigation. 

The characteristics of reflected sound 
also depend on signal energy and fre- 
quency. Frequencies that are useful in 
medical imaging, such as ultrasound, 
are not really practical for robotics 
because they take advantage of the 
density of the propagation medium, 
which is usually a fluid or tissue Most 
sonar systems for air rely on a carefully 
selected subset of frequencies de- 
signed to minimize absorption by 
typical materials. Under some circum- 
stances the frequency will be inappro- 
priate even for head-on readings. An 
actual example occurred in some ini- 
tial experiments using robot manipu- 
lators that attempted to grasp poly- 
urethane foam blocks, which have ex- 
tremely high sonar absorbency. For all 
intents and purposes, these blocks 
were invisible to sonar. 

Other sonar problems occur because 
of the beam shape. The output of a 
sonar transducer is actually a cone, like 
the beam of a flashlight. Without a 
focusing horn, a typical sonar cone is 
about 3 5 degrees wide. Therefore, 
sonar maps have to take into account 
that the leading edge of the cone will 



contact a barrier well before the center 
axis of the transducer. If the false 
angular reading is not corrected, the 
map of an area a robot uses to 
navigate is distorted. Figure B shows 
a sonar map made by a robot in the 
CESAR laboratory that illustrates some 
of these effects. Specular reflection 
caused the map to show artificially 
smoothed edges to boxes, vanishing 
walls, and falsely closed movement 
corridors. Beam spread made ob- 
stacles that are farther away from the 
robot appear larger than they really 
were. Failure to correct for the width 
of the beam and plotting the distance 
returns as though they were at the 
center axis of the sonar resulted in a 
false inward wall curvature. 

Many of these characteristics can be 
compensated for based on known 
properties of the sonar beam, but not 
all. The reason is that, in an unknown 
room, there is no way to assure that 
a sonar return is the result of a specular 
reflection effect instead of an actual 
return from a new object. Without fur- 
ther verification from different robot 
positions or alternate sensors such as 
vision, extraneous information must re- 
main in the sonar map. The correction, 
or "unfolding." of sensor data thus 
becomes of major concern the more 
rapidly navigation decisions must be 
made. 



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JANUARY 1986 -BYTE 231 



NAVIGATION 



checking sonar maps to handle 
changing reflections. 

In addition to changing reflections, 
errors in robot position occur due to 
the cumulative buildup of mechanical 
and electronic innaccuracies in the 
robot propulsion system. Columbus- 
level navigations must be able to cor- 
rect a position by keeping track of 



changing external references. There is 
also a need to keep track of higher- 
level global relationships. One prob- 
lem is identifying and selecting a 
good reference point. A robot can use 
such a point to correct cumulative 
mismatches between what the inter- 
nal map records as the robot's loca- 
tion and what sensor data indicate are 




Photo I: HERMIES (right) and friend. Notice the bubble wrap on the obstacles and 
the two-feet-square floor grids. 



actual object distances and orienta- 
tions. How to best select and relate 
such references as well as how to up- 
date the internal map are topics still 
being researched. 

Ulysses 

Other types of problems occur when 
navigation in real time is considered. 
Ulysses had to contend with a multi- 
tude of perils on his explorations, but 
he also faced gods who kept chang- 
ing his environment by adding threats 
or removing them. 

For an autonomous robot, a similar 
situation occurs with traversal in an 
environment where objects move and 
requires creation of a stack of inter- 
mediate goals as changes invalidate 
global plans. The robot must generate 
new plans, remove invalid goals from 
the stack, and break world maps into 
static and dynamic areas. 

Consider a woman walking down a 
crowded hall who is preoccupied with 
a schedule and takes only occasional 
glances to determine if something is 
in her way. A glance may work as long 
as the unexpected does not occur. 
The greater the amount of change in 
the environment, however, the faster 
and more frequently she must glance 
up and the more often she will have 
to modify a plan to walk straight 
ahead in order to avoid bumping into 
people. 

A robot in a dynamic environment 
is in the same situation. Sensor pro- 
cessing speed must be sufficient to 
recognize changes in the environment 
before a preplanned action results in 
a catastrophe. Consider the implica- 
tions for a Mars Rover that could only 
process the image of a cliff after roll- 
ing over the edge. Although current 
computer vision systems provide de- 
tailed two-dimensional information 
about the environment, they can be 
very slow and computation-intensive. 
The technology is changing, but vi- 
sion may not be able to effectively 
handle the full navigation problem. 
Single-sensor limitations make us 
want to simultaneously use different 
kinds of sensors to provide more 
data. Higher-order logic may then be 
able to use the increased information 



232 BYTE • JANUARY 1986 



NAVIGATION 



to anticipate serious events before 
they occur. 

Ulysses navigation often creates the 
need for multiple sources of informa- 
tion to supplement local sensor read- 
ings. Sensor speed is important 
because the total array of sensors 
must be fast enough to monitor world 
changes effectively. In addition, multi- 
pie sensors increase the importance 
of future research on databases that 
combine information into a com- 
posite data structure. One such area 
is robotic learning. An ideal autono- 
mous vehicle would acquire informa- 
tion about its environment on a local 
basis and at the same time build or 
modify a global world model that can 
be used for more complex plans (ref- 
erence 7). 

A Visit with HERMIES 

To illustrate how some of these tech- 
niques appear in a working system, 
consider HERMIES (see photo I). A 
small mobile robot at Oak Ridge Na- 
tional Laboratory, HERMIES is the 
prototype of a robot series that con- 
tains many of the features needed for 
autonomous operation in hazardous 
environments. 

HERMIES has a self-powered 
mobile platform with a wheel-driven 
chassis, dual manipulator arms, on- 
board distributed processors, and a 
directionally controlled sensor suite. 
He is propelled by two independent 
DC-motor-driven wheels with a com- 
mon axle alignment. Common motor 
direction provides forward and 
reverse motion, while counter driving 
provides bidirectional pivoting for 
heading changes. On-board com- 
puters consisting of an IBM Personal 
Computer and a Z8 microprocessor 
are located in an enclosure mounted 
above the drive chassis. The PC con- 
trols all functions except the arms, 
which are controlled by the Z8. The 
dual arm manipulator torso is located 
above the computers with two five- 
degreesof-freedom Hero I arms with 
added shoulder-pitch motion and a 
base rotation. At present, the sensory 
platform at the top of HERMIES has 
one four-element phased array and a 
binary vision system positioned by a 




Figure 4: A Magellan-level navigation 
by HERMIES, showing the original 
spatial map. the blooming of obstacle 
diameters by HERMIES (red), and the 
selected path (blue). 



pan-and-tilt mechanism. The sensor 
platform is controlled by an open- 
loop commercial multiaxis stepper 
controller. HERMIES does not do all 
planning on board but rather commu- 
nicates sensor data to a remote LISP 
machine via a radio frequency link. 
Thus, all the navigation planning, map 
construction, and decision making oc- 
cur in the LISP machine, and decisions 
are transmitted back to HERMIES as 
primitive FORTH commands recog- 
nized by the robot operating system. 
The boxes shown in photo I are 
movable obstacles from which various 
maze and barrier problems can be 
constructed. The box mobility also 
permits experimenters to change the 
positions of the obstacles as HER- 
MIES navigates. The circular disks on 
the floor are goal markers so the staff 
can assess how much cumulative er- 
ror has been introduced between the 
internal sonar map of the robot loca- 
tion (displayed in real time on the 















r\ 












D 












f 












O 
O 

0° 








START 












1 


) 


o 


m 




1 

1 








§T~ 


i 
1 

1 






/stopV — 

Ujoal, 




d 









o 


oboeocj)O o 














0°° 















Figure 5: A Columbus-level navigation 
by HERMIES. Obstacles are drawn into 
the figure but were not available to the 
robot. The small circles represent the 
obstacle locations as they appeared on 
sonar. 



LISP machine) and the actual location 
of HERMIES in the laboratory. 

Consider first a simple find-path 
problem. Figure 4 is an example of a 
spatial map that HERMIES con- 
structed when given a Magellan pro- 
blem involving four blocks. Notice 
how the edge of the room and the 
boxes were "bloomed" (red lines) to 
allow movement clearances. The blue 
line shows the computed path to be 
traveled, which corresponds to the 
selected vertices of the bloomed 
boxes. Notice that a shorter path 
looked possible but the robot did not 
select it because the clearances of the 
obstacles were insufficient after the 
obstacles were bloomed. 

Figure 5 shows part of a Columbus 
problem navigation map generated 
by sweeping the HERMIES sonar 
through 180 degrees and recording 
the returned distances as small circles. 
The dashed line corresponds to the 

{continued) 



JANUARY 1986 -BYTE 233 



NAVIGATION 



path selected by HER MIES to avoid 
the obstacles. The actual shapes of 
the obstacles are drawn in to illustrate 
the error introduced by the sonar 
returns (see "Sonar Sensors" on page 
2 30) and were not available to HER- 



MIES at the time of navigation. 

Figure 6 shows part of a Ulysses- 
level global map that was built in four 
steps. This information is used to 
combine the history of multiple jour- 
neys for future navigation planning. 



(a) 




ZI goal 

END 




Figure 6:' A Ulysses-level map constructed by HERMIES. (a) The obstacle positions 
before exploration and four paths (blue) from previous traversals around the objects: 
[b] Voronoi regions are created and labeled from previous path points. The optimal path 
calculated is shown in blue. 



Figure 6a shows a spatial graph of cur- 
rent obstacle locations and paths 
from four earlier Columbus-level 
journeys. Figure 6b is a special type 
of graphic representation called a 
Voronoi diagram. Both are used to 
apply graph theory to the multipath 
history and calculate a new optimal 
path from previously learned informa- 
tion. This path would minimize addi- 
tional sensor use. Learning occurs as 
new paths are added to the Voronoi 
diagram and spatial graphs so that, 
with time, the robot navigation con- 
trol switches from sensor-driven 
obstacle avoidance to global graph- 
based decisions. 

Future Directions 

Advances in robot navigation are oc- 
curring very rapidly so accurate pro- 
jections about the future are specu- 
lative at best. Some trends appear evi- 
dent, however. Robot navigation plan- 
ning will move increasingly toward 
Ulysses-level problems. There will be 
more concern with the computational 
and algorithmic requirements of real- 
time sensor processing and decision 
making using parallel computer archi- 
tectures, larger knowledge bases and 
expert systems, and effective charac- 
terization of uncertainty. Sensors will 
increase in speed and number with 
improvements being made in inte- 
grated functions, such as the use of 
multiple phased arrays to improve 
sonar focusing, laser range finders for 
precise distance and edge detection, 
touch sensing, and stereoscopic 
vision. 

Future descendants of current 
mobile robots such as Carnegie- 
Mellon's Terregator, HERMIES, the 
University of Tolouse's Hilare, and the 
Department of Defense's Autono- 
mous Land Vehicle will most likely be 
faster, smarter, and more aware of 
their environments than today's pro- 
totypes. The mobile robots of the 
future may well be a new class of ex- 
plorers that journey to places or 
planets where people can never go. ■ 

REFERENCES 

I. Juliere. M., L. Marce, and H. Place. A 

Guidance System for a Mobile Robot. 1 3th In- 



234 BYTE • JANUARY 1986 



NAVIGATION 



ternational Symposium on Industrial 
Robots. ROBOT 7, vol. 2. April 1983. 

2. Lozano-Perez, T. "Automatic Planning of 
Manipulator Transfer Movements." IEEE 
l\ansactions on Systems. Man. and Cybernetics. 
SMC- 11. 1981, pages 681-689. 

3. Moravec, Hans P. "Obstacle Avoidance 
and Navigation in the Real World by a See- 
ing Robot Rover." Stanford AIT-340. 
September 1980. 

4. Udupa, Shriram M. "Collision Detection 
and Avoidance in Computer Controlled 
Manipulators." Proceedings of JJCAI-5. Cam- 
bridge, MA: MIT Press, 1977, pages 
737-748. 

5. Crowley, J. L. "Navigation for an Intel- 
ligent Mobile Robot." IEEE journal of Robotics 
and Automation., vol. RA-1, no. 1, March 
1985. 

6. Dufay. "Apprentissage par Induction en 
Robotique— Application a la Synthese de 
Programmes de Montage." These de 
Troisieme Cyde, 1NPG Genoble. lune 1983. 

7. Iyengar, S. S., C. C. lorgensen. S. V. N. 
Rao, and C. R. Weisbin. "Robot Navigation 
Algorithms Using Learned Spatial Graphs." 
ORNL technical report ORNL-TM-9782, 
August 8. 1985. 

8. Schwartz, I. T.. and Micha Sharir. "On 
the Piano Movers Problem, the Case of a 
Two Dimensional Rigid Polygonal Body 
Moving Amidst Polygonal Barriers." Com- 
munications on Pure and Applied Mathematics. 
vol. xxxvi, 1983, pages 345-398. 

9. Everett, H. R. "A Multielement Ultra- 
sonic Ranging Array." Robotics Age. July 
1985. pages 13-20. 



The research that is the subject of this article 
was sponsored by the Office of Basic Energy 
Sciences of the U.S. Department of Energy 
under contract No. DE-AC05-84O21400 
with Martin Marietta Energy Systems \nc. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION 
For more detail on vision systems, see 
Digital Image Processing by Rafael C Gonzalez 
and Paul Wintz (Reading, MA: Addison- 
Wesley. 1977). 

For an interesting study of the Mars 
Rover, see Robot Rover Visual Navigation by 
Hans P. Moravec (Ann Arbor, Ml: UMI 
Research Press. 1981). 

For more detail on robotic arms, see 
Jeleoperation and Robotics: Evolution and Develop- 
ment. Robot Technology Series vol. 3 A, by 
lean Vertut and Philippe Coiffet (London: 
Kogan Page, 1985). 

For information on planning, see A Struc- 
ture for Plans and Behavior by Earl D. Sacer- 
doti (New York: Elsevier, 1977). 




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236 BYTE* JANUARY 1986 



Inquiry 118 



ROBOTICS 



AI IN 

COMPUTER 

VISION 

by John L. Cuadrado and Clara Y Cuadrado 



Framing doors and windows 



COMPUTER VISION INVOLVES a 
two-stage process: An early process- 
ing (sometimes called low-level pro- 
cessing) stage extracts intrinsic infor- 
mation of images, e.g., the gray level 
at various points on an image plane. 
This early processing is done very ef- 
ficiently, albeit unconsciously, in the 
human visual system. We do not yet 
understand very well the way it works. 
In contrast, the late processing (or 
high-level processing) stage in com- 
puter vision uses general assumptions 
about how the physical world fits 
together to guide vision. This high- 
level processing is more easily under- 
stood in terms of the human visual 
system: We constantly utilize domain 
knowledge to guide our interpretation 
of images. Here vision becomes in- 
separable from general cognitive pro- 
cessing. This is the stage where ar- 
tificial intelligence and vision meet; 
knowledge representation, inferences, 
goals, and plans all play an important 
role in this stage of vision. 

In this article we will attempt to il- 
lustrate how artificial intelligence tech- 
niques can be used to aid computer 
vision. Because of the complexity and 



diversity of issues involved in these 
two fields, we feel it is futile to try to 
cover current state-of-the-art research. 
Interested readers should consult ref- 
erences I, 2, 3, and 4. Instead, we will 
present a simple computer-vision sys- 
tem that we have constructed for the 
explicit purpose of demonstrating the 
role AI may play in a vision system. 
We will concentrate on the high-level 
end of the vision hierarchy but we will 
also point out the interplay between 
the low-level processes and the knowl- 
edge-intensive processes whenever 
appropriate. 

Frame-based Knowledge 
Representation 

Our computer-vision system uses a 
frame-based knowledge representa- 
tion to handle all the components in 
the high-level processing of the vision 
hierarchy. (Probably the best introduc- 
tion to the idea of frames and frame- 
based systems is reference 5. An ex- 
cellent succinct presentation is also 
available in reference 6.) The frames 
structure we use is based on a com- 
bination of features from KRL (Knowl- 
edge Representation Language), SRL 



(Schema Representation Language), 
and FRL (Frame Representation Lan- 
guage). Our frame-based system is im- 
plemented in Prolog and includes 
such features as inheritance and 
demons. 

The basic structure of an abstract 
frame is shown in figure 1. A frame 
consists of a name followed by an ar- 
bitrary number of slots, each of which 
can support an arbitrary number of 
facets. Each facet has an associated 
value. The data corresponding to 
these values is not typed data in 
general, although it is a simple mat- 
ter to provide mechanisms for the en- 
forcement of strongly typed facets. 
The value associated with a given 
facet can be an integer, string, list, or 
an even more complex object. The 
most common facet is the value facet. 

[continued) 
Clara Y. Cuadrado and \ohn L. Cuadrado 
[Octy Inc., 10920 Oxford Court, Fairfax 
Station. VA 22039) both earned Ph.Ds from 
the University of Illinois at Urbana-Cham- 
paign. They taught at the University of 
Maryland and Dartmouth College, respective- 
ly, and now run their own company develop- 
ing AI systems. 



JANUARY 1986 • BYTE 237 



VISION Al 



This facet refers to the actual value 
taken by the corresponding slot. 
Other commonly occuring facets in- 
clude the default and if needed 

facets. A simple example should help 
to clarify all this terminology. 

Consider a simple personal com- 
puter consisting of a microprocessor, 
some memory a disk drive, a video 
monitor, and a keyboard. This might 
be represented as shown in figure 2. 

Now, a specific instance of this type 
of computer could be my computer, 
as shown in figure 3a. The ako 
acronym stands for "a kind of" and in- 
dicates that my computer is one of 

the class of computers having all the 

characteristics of computer brandX. 

In particular, my computer "in- 
herits" an 8088 processor from the 
computer_brandX. Similarly if we 
want to know what kind of monitor 
my computer has, we know that 



< frame-name > 




< slot-name > 




< facet-name > 


value 


<facet-name> 


value 


< slot-name > 




< facet- nam e> 


value 


<facet-name> 


. value 



Figure I: An abstract representation in 
pseudocode of a frame. 



since we did not specify a monitor, 
my computer will inherit the black- 
and-white monitor specified as the 

default monitor in computer 

brandX. 

From this simple example we see 
that we are going to need a number 
of procedures to retrieve values from 
frames, to install values in frames, etc. 
We must also agree on some specific 
representation for frames using the 
data-structuring facilities that our im- 
plementation language provides. 

The implementation we have 
chosen is to let each slot-facet-value 
triple be represented as a predicate 
whose head is the frame name. For 

example, my computer in figure 3a 

would be represented as shown in 
figure 3b. We have chosen not to im- 
plement frames as list structures in 
Prolog primarily because Prolog does 
not provide adequate list-surgery 



computer brandX 




cpu 




value : 


8088 


memory 




default 


: 256k 


keyboard 




default 


: 80_keys 


monitor 




default 


: black_white 


disk drive 




default 


: ss_floppy 



Figure 2: A pseudocode representation of 
a frame defining a kind of microcomputer. 



(a) 

my computer 

ako 

value : computer brandX 

memory 

value : 512k 

(b) 

my com puter(ako, value, computer brandX). 

my computerimemory.value^l 2k). 



Figure 3: An instance of a figure 2-type computer in pseudocode (a) and as 
implemented in Prolog (b). 



operations. This is not an oversight by 
the designers of Prolog. To perform 
such list surgery it becomes necessary 
to do certain manipulations that are 
against the applicative nature of Pro- 
log. There is a way around it via dif- 
ference lists, but we will not go into 
that here. 

Frames in Prolog 

In the next few paragraphs, we pre- 
sent a guided tour through the vari- 
ous functions that provide the 
retrieval and maintenance facilities for 
this particular representation of 
frames in Prolog. Each of the sets of 
functions presented below is orga- 
nized as a main predicate that pro- 
vides a general facility, including the 
ability to handle inheritance and the 
invocation of suitable demons. 

First, we need a function that will 
retrieve information from the slots in 

a frame. The predicate frame get 

performs such a function. It uses ffget 
as an auxiliary predicate to handle 
traversals up the frame hierarchy. The 
actual code for this function is 
presented in listing I. | Editor's note: The 
Prolog source code is available for download- 
ing from BYTEnet Listings at (617) 
861-9764. The code can be run on 
PDPROLOG, which is also available from 
BYTEnet Listings.) 

The next set of predicates provides 
the facilities to install values in a given 

slot of a frame. The code for frame 

put in listing I does this. 

Next, we provide a predicate for 
removing information from a frame, 
frame remove (listing 1). 

Occasionally, we not only need to 
install and remove values from some 
slot in a frame but also need to 
replace whatever value is in a slot with 

a new value. In listing 1, frame 

replace does this. 

Finally there are times when we 
need to deal with lists as the values 
of some slots. Often in these cases we 
build the lists incrementally. For this 
reason, we provide the frame ap- 
pend predicate that appends values 
to a list in a slot (listing I). 

To further illustrate the use of the 
frame-retrieval and maintenance 

[continued) 



238 BYTE • JANUARY 1986 



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VISION AI 



Listing 1: The Prolog frame-manipulation routines with an example routine for 
calculating cylinder attributes. 

r Get the Value of Slot in a given Frame */ 

frame getfFrame.Slot.Value) : - 

ffgetfFrame.Frame.Slot.Value). 

ffget(Parameter Frame.Frame.Slot.Value) :- /* Check for a value Facet. 

V 

fget(Frame,Slot,value,Value). 

ffget(Parameter Frame.Frame.Slot.Value) :- /* Does it have a default? 

*/ 

fgetfFrame.Slot.default, Value). 

ffget(Parameter Frame.Frame.Slot.Value) : - /* How about a demon? 

*/ 

fget(Frame,Slot,if needed, Rule), 

F = ,. [Rule, Parameter Frame.Value], 

F. 
ffget(Parameter Frame.Frame.Slot.Value) :- /* None of the above. */ 

fget(Frame,ako,value, Parent), /* So, move up the hierarchy. 
V 

ffget(Parameter Frame, Parent.Slot.Value). 

fget(Frame,S!ot,Facet,Value) :- /* Just grab the given Facet or 
fail. 7 

F =,. [Frame,Slot,Facet,Value], 

F. 

/* Put Value in Slot of a given Frame. If this Slot has an associated 

if added demon, then grab it and execute it after installing the 

given Value. 
*/ 
frame put(Frame,Slot,Value) : - 

get rule(Frame,Slot,if added, Rule), /* Must we do something 

extra? */ 

fput(Frame,Slot, value, Value), 

F = .. [Rule, Frame.Value], 

F. 
frame put(Frame,Slot r Value) : - 

fput(Frame,Slot, value, Value), 
do. V 



/* Just a simple fput will 



fput(Frame,Slot,Facet,Value) :- 

F =.. [Frame.Slot.Facet.Value], 
assertz(F). 

/* Remove Slot from a given Frame. If the Slot has an associated 

if removed demon, then grab the rule and execute it before 

removing the Slot. 

7 

frame remove(Frame.Slot) : - 

get rule(Frame,S!ot,if removed, Rule), /* Something extra to 

do. 7 



[Rule, Frame], 



frame. 



fremove(Frame.Slot). 

_remove(Frame,Slot) : - 

fremove(Frame.Slot). 



/* Just a simple fremove. 7 



fremove(Frame.Slot) : - 

F =.. [Frame,Slot,value,Value] ( 

retract(F). 
fremove( , ). /* If Slot doesn't exist, then no harm done. 



7 



/* Replace whatever is in Slot with Value. If the Slot has an associated 

if replaced rule, then grab it and execute it after doing the 

replacement. 



(continued) 



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*/ 

frame replace(Frame,Slot,Value) : - 

get rule(Frame,Slot,if replaced.Rule), /* Something extra to 

do. */ 

freplace(Frame,Slot, Value), 

F = .. [Rule, Frame], 

F. 
frame replace(Frame,Slot,Value) : - 

freplace(Frame,Slot,Value). /* Just a simple 

replace. */ 

freplace(Frame,Slot, Value) : - 
fremove(Frame,Slot), 
frame put(Frame,Slot, Value). 

r Append Value to the list in Slot. If Slot has an associated 

if appended rule, then grab it and execute it after appending 

the Value. 
V 
frame append(Frame,Slot,Value) : - 

get rule(Frame,Slot,if appended, Rule), 

fappend(Frame,Slot,Value), 

F = .. [Rule.Frame], 

F. 
frame append(Frame,Slot,Value) : - 

fappend(Frame,Slot, Value). 

/* Here we check to see if the slot already exists. 

If it does, then we just append the new Value to the old value 



list. 



If the Slot does not exist, then we create it and give it a value 
consisting of the list whose single element is Value. 
V 
fappend(Frame,Slot,Value) : - 

fget(Frame,Slot, value, Old), 
(member(Value.Old) 

fremove(Frame,Slot), 
fput(Frame,Slot,value,[Value 4 Old]) 

)• ' 
fappend(Frame,Slot,Value) : - 

fput(Frame,Slot, value, [Value]). 

/* This is a simple utility predicate used to travel up the frame 

hierarchy looking for an appropriate rule to grab. 
V 
get rule(Frame,Slot,Type,Rule) : - 

fget(Frame,Slot,Type,Rule). " 
get rule(Frame,Slot,Type,Rule) : - 

fget(Frame,ako,value,Parent), 

get ruleparent.Slot.Type.Rule). 

r Example 

frame representation: 



cylinder 
ako 

height 



radius 



value : thing 

if added : cylinder height add 

if removed : cylinder height remove 

if added : cylinder radius add 

If removed : cylinder radius remove 



[continued) 




M&M 


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t i p > > i 






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•*— Inquiry 276 



JANUARY 1986 -BYTE 243 



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ELLIS COMPUTING 



244 BYTE • JANUARY I986 



Inquiry I2I 



Inquiry 356 



VISION AI 



cross section 

if needed : cylinder cross section 

volume 

if needed : cylinder volume 



cylinderl 
ako 



value : cylinder 



comments: cylinderl above is an instance of cylinder. When we use 

frame put(cylinder1, radius, 2), say, the system will install the number "2" as the 

value of cylinderl 's radius and it will further compute cylinderl 's cross sectional 

area and install it under the cross section slot. Similar actions take place when we 

do a frame put for cylinderl 's height. Below is the Prolog code that implements 

all this. NOTE: PDPROLOG only supports integer arithmetic. 
7 

cylinder(ako, value, geometric object). 

cylinder(height,if added.cylinder height add). 

cylinder(height,if removed.cylinder height remove). 

cylinder(radius,if added.cylinder radius add). 

cylinder(radius,if removed.cylinder radius remove). 

cylinder(cross sectionjf needed.cylinder cross section). 

cylinder(volume,if needed.cylinder volume). 

/* If we get the height, then we try to compute the cylinder's 

volume, 
*/ 

cylinder height add(Cylinder, ) : - 

cylinder volume(Cylinder. ). 

cylinder height add( , ). /* If we can't do it. 

e.g., the radius is unknown, 
then no harm done. 7 

I* If the height is removed, then the old volume is no 

longer valid. 
*/ 

cylinder height remove(Cylinder) : - 

frame remove(Cylinder,volume). 

/* If we get the radius, then we can compute the cylinder's 
cross sectional area. 
V 

cylinder radius add(Cylinder, ) : - 

cylinder cross section(Cylinder, ). 

/* If the radius is removed, then the old cross sectional area 

is no longer valid. 
7 
cylinder radius remove(Cylinder) : - 

frame remove(Cylinder, cross section), 

frame remove(cylinder, volume). 

/* PDPROLOG does not support floating-point arithmetic, so if you are 

using that version, change pi to an integer value. 
V 
cylinder cross section(Cylinder, Cross Section) : - 

frame get(Cylinder, radius, Radius), 

Cross Section is 3.1416*Radius*Radius, 

freplace(Cylinder, cross section, Cross Section). 

cylinder volume(Cylinder,Volume) : - 

frame get(Cylinder, cross section, Cross Section), 

frame get(Cylinder, height, Height), 

Volume is Height*Cross Section, 

freplace(Cylinder, volume, Volume). 

cylinderl (ako,value,cylinder). 




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Distributor: Telemarketing Services, Inc. 
1897 Garden Ave.. Eugene. OR 97403. 503/345-7395 



JANUARY 1986 'BYTE 245 



VISION AI 



predicates, we present an example. It 
describes a frame for a general 
cylinder and provides demons for cal- 
culating the cross-sectional area and 
volume. The code in listing 1 from the 
"Example" remark to the end of the 
listing accomplishes this. 

In the above, we have presented a 
brief review of the concept of frame- 
based representation and provided 
enough frame-building tools so that 
anyone wishing to embark on the 
design of a frame-based system can 
utilize this skeleton to get started. 
Next, we will describe the workings of 
a vision system that incorporates 
these ideas. 

A Simple Vision System 

Sometime last year an architectural 
firm (let's call it Palladio Associates) 



came to us with a request for the 
design and implementation of a sys- 
tem capable of interpreting house 
drawings. They needed a system to 
classify houses according to a fixed 
number of models. They also wanted 
the system to make recommendations 
on possible improvements that could 
be made to a set of sample houses 
to make them conform more closely 
to the models. It was also important 
that the system be capable of justify- 
ing (explaining) any recommendations 
that it would make. 

After talking with representatives 
from Palladio Associates, we learned 
that the number of their model 
houses was very small. We also 
learned that the sample houses to be 
presented to the system fell into well- 
defined, narrow categories with only 



& 



fi 





Figure 4: IWo house models used by "Palladio Associates!' 





L 


yy i 


rPQ 






















1 






' i i 






i i i 




i i 


^n 


-i- 1 — r 


1 




: = p 




p = 




1 Q 




psl 




— ' — j 

i i— 


-— 1 — L - 

^ — 


JL 

1 








L>^j- 




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= = 


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-\ 


j = 




= |: 


1 


II II 


1 1 I 1 






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Figure 5: Sample houses to be analyzed by the architectural program. 



some fairly straightforward dif- 
ferences between the samples and 
the models. The folks at Palladio also 
revealed that they had purchased 
adequate digitizing equipment to con- 
vert the pictures of the houses into 
what were essentially sharply 
segmented line drawings. 

Figure 4 shows line drawings of two 
of Palladio's house models. Figure 5 
shows similar line drawings of two of 
the sample houses. We were also 
given a set of what the architects con- 
sidered acceptable window, door, and 
siding styles to go with these 
traditional-style houses. Equally im- 
portant was a set of window, door, 
and siding styles that the architects 
considered in poor taste, yet which 
would appear in the sample houses. 
They further made recommendations 
on which acceptable windows should 
replace which inadequate ones, etc. 
Confident that Palladio's requests for 
the sytem's features were manage- 
able, we decided to undertake the 
project. 

After agreeing to take on the job, we 
met with the architects from Palladio 
to come up with an initial set of sys- 
tem requirements. Since the digitizing 
equipment was already available, this 
presented no real problem. At this 
meeting the architects expressed an 
interest in having the capability to in- 
put sample houses to the system by 
using an icon-driven drawing system 
that they had just purchased for their 
computer. This did not present any 
additional problems. In fact, input 
from the icon-driven system would be 
simpler to deal with than input from 
the digitizer since, for example, the 
windows and doors would already be 
labeled according to their categories. 

The Housing Project 

We will now describe the overall sys- 
tem architecture that we used in the 
project and explain the flow of infor- 
mation through the system. 

Figure 6 is a diagram of the struc- 
ture of the system. As indicated by 
box 2 in figure 6, you interact with the 
system by specifying one or more 
sample houses that you wish to have 

[continued] 



246 BYTE- JANUARY 1986 



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VISION Al 



the system analyze. You can have a 
picture digitized, or you may instead 
choose to input a line drawing using 
the icon-driven drawing system. 

All system interactions are ultimate- 
ly controlled by the inference engine 
(figure 6, box 1). It has a set of top- 
level routines that schedule when 
other processes in the system get to 
execute. Whenever some process in 
the system finishes executing, it 
passes control back to these top-level 
routines in the inference engine. The 
inference engine also provides a 
number of generic routines that are 
available to the rest of the system. 

The core of the frame utilities com- 
ponent of the system (figure 6, box 0) 
has already been described in the 
previous section. The routines pro- 
vided by this component are also 
generally available to the rest of the 
system and can be considered as pro- 
viding another, higher-level language 
on top of Prolog. 

After the image of a house has been 



suitably massaged by the low-level 
system components in boxes 3 and 4 
in the diagram, the information then 
flows on to box 5. It is here that the 
system attempts to put together a 
higher-level description of the image. 
First, as depicted in figure 7, a set of 
processes partitions the image into 
"global house coordinates" and 
assigns sets of these coordinates to 
each of the major features of the 
house, for example, the windows and 
doors. The main goal here is to parti- 
tion the house into a set of vertical 
and horizontal components, each of 
which contains some house feature 
that later system phases will find in- 
teresting. The general scheme here is 
basically a simple relaxation tech- 
nique that first tries to partition the 
house into three vertical components 
and three horizontal components. By 
attempting to isolate significant 
features in each of the components, 
the process either increases or 
decreases the number of com- 



ponents. In the simple houses that the 
system deals with, the process usual- 
ly converges very rapidly, and it takes 
only a couple of passes to settle down 
to a final partition. What we mean by 
"global house coordinates" is simply 
a left-to-right and bottom-to-top 
assignment of natural numbers to 
each of the partitions in the image, as 
illustrated in figure 7. During this 
phase the system also attempts to 
classify the windows and doors in the 
house and match them against the 
model windows and doors provided 
by the system. The frame representa- 
tion of one of the system's models is 
shown in listing 2. 

The processes i n box 6 of figure 6 
now take over and attempt to con- 
struct a frame representation of the 
entire house. This representation in- 
corporates all the information from 
the intermediate processes in box 5, 
but it also discards the pixel-level in- 
formation from boxes 3 and 4. The 

{continued) 



USER INTERFACE 



e.g.. KEYBOARD. MOUSE, 

HIGH-RESOLUTION DISPLAY 



RECOMMENDATIONS/RATIONALE 8 

PROCESSES 



e.g., APPLICATION OF ARCHITECT- 
SUPPLIED HEURISTICS 



INPUT SUBSYSTEM 



e.g.. PICTURE DIGITIZATION 

ICON-DRIVEN DRAWING SYSTEM 



INFERENCE ENGINE 



e.g.. CONTROL STRUCTURES, 
HEURISTICS 



FRAME UTILITIES 



"ra 



e.g., FUNCTIONS TO BUILD AND 

MAINTAIN FRAME STRUCTURES 



FRAME MATCHING PROCESSES 



e.g., MATCHING OF SAMPLE HOUSE 
FRAME AGAINST MODEL HOUSES 



LOW-LEVEL PROCESSES 



e.g.. DETECT WINDOWS AND DOORS 



INTERMEDIATE PROCESSES 



e.g.. CLASSIFY WINDOWS AND DOORS. 
ASSIGN GLOBAL HOUSE 
COORDINATES 



TOP-LEVEL DESCRIPTION 
PROCESSES 



. INTEGRATION OF INFORMATION INTO 
FRAME STRUCTURES FOR EACH 
SAMPLE HOUSE PRESENTED TO THE 
SYSTEM 



Figure 6: Diagram of the structure of the architectural system. 



248 BYTE* JANUARY 1986 






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VISION Al 



frame representation generated by 
the system for a typical sample house 
is shown in listing 3. 

From here on, the system works 
with the frame representations ex- 
clusively. The processes in box 7 at- 
tempt to match the frame represen- 
tation of the sample house against the 
model frames provided by the system. 
The matching process is very forgiv- 
ing and utilizes a set of heuristics to 
include or ignore features that are 
considered relevant for a global 
match. 

After the system has produced what 
it considers to be a suitable matching 
between the sample and one of the 
models, it passes control back to the 
top-level inferencing component. The 
system then invokes the final set of 
processes in box 8, which analyze the 
sample frame and the model and use 
a set of the heuristics supplied by the 
architects to make recommendations 
on how to modify the sample house 
to make it conform to the model more 
closely. The recommendations are 
coupled with various explanations 
based on the types of windows, 
doors, etc., and why the architects feel 
it would be more appealing to re- 
model according to some given plan. 

Epilog 

The simple system presented in this 
article illustrates how techniques in ar- 



tificial intelligence, such as frame- 
based knowledge representation, can 
be used in a vision system to provide 
a very high-level representation of the 
information contained in simple, well- 
specified images. The system works 
because the set of alternatives it has 
to consider is very small. The system 
only "knows" a very limited set of win- 
dow, door, and siding types, some 
symmetries, and a few relatively sim- 
ple heuristics relating to the interplay 
among these well-defined categories. 

While we spare no effort in en- 
couraging our readers to try their 
hands at applying AI techniques to 
their computer-vision problems, we 
hasten to add that the gap between 
our system and something like the 
ACRONYM system at Stanford (de- 
scribed in reference 7) is enormous. 
General-purpose systems like 
ACRONYM have to deal with issues 
that are not even addressed in the 
current system. It is important that our 
readers refrain from extrapolating the 
capabilities shown in the simple sys- 
tem described in this article into 
realms for which it was never 
intended. 

Having said all that, we hope that 
our little system demonstrates that, 
given a narrow domain with relative- 
ly little noise, it is fairly straightforward 
to construct systems that have reason- 

[continued) 



2 :i 



l : 



BeeB 



B 



at 



n 




XPOSITION 



Figure 7: Global house coordinates showing the partitioning of a sample house by the 
program. 



250 B YTE • JANUARY 1986 



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JANUARY 1986 -BYTE 251 



Inquiry 206 for End-Users. Inquiry 207 for DEALERS ONLY. 



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•8 Mhz 16 Bit 80186 CPU 
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- ^ w add-on board 

't^lR^ ■ 128K EPR0M - 2 B y te 

r ' _^ff' Wide sockets 

^0m • 4 Drive floppy disk controller 

&) • SCSI (SASI) hard disk interface 
• IBM compatible ROM-BIOS 
• Boots PC DOS 2.x. 3.x 
•Two RS232C serial ports 

• Parallel printer port 

• Expansion board w 512K RAM. 8087-2. Clock. 2 serial ports. 
RS422 port 

• AMPRO Little Board Plus $289 

• Same as Little Board 186 except 4 Mhz Z80A (8 Bit) CPU. 
64K RAM, 4 - 16K EPROM; w CP.M 2.2, ZCPR3 

• AMPRO Little Board (the original) $239 

• Same as Little Board Plus except no SCSI, 4K EPROM: 
w/CP/M 2.2, ZCPR3 

ft 25 different enclosures w power supplies, cables, etc. from S99 

ft Floppy/Winchester drives from S89 

ft XEBEC 4000 OWL 1/2 Ht 10Mb drive w integral controller S595 

ft Terminals: Wyse, Qume, Kimtron from S395 

ft Power supplies, cables, connectors in stock 

Complete technical support. Assembled systems available. Write or call for 
free catalog. Most orders shipped same day. 

VISA, MasterCard, Money Order, C.O.D. Checks allow two weeks. 
Purchase orders and bids welcome. Prices FOB. Prairie View. IL. 

IBM P C AT. P Cjr . P C DOS are trademarks of International Business Machines Corporation XEBEC OWL 



is a trademark of XEBEC. Inc 



91SKS PLUS 



15945 West Pope Blvd. 
Prairie View, IL 60069 
(312) 537-7888 



VISION AI 



Listing 2: The frame representation of 
architectural system's house models. 


one of the 


window typel 

ako 

value : window 




panes 

value : 12 
style 

value : sash 




window type2 

ako 

value : window 


• 


panes 

value : 24 
style 

value : sash 




window type3 

ako 

value : window 




panes 

value : 3 
style 

value : picture 




window type4 

ako 

value : window 




panes 

value : 3 
style 

value : sash 




window type5 

ako 

value : window 




panes 

value : 2 
style 

value : sash 




window 
ako 

value : thing i 




area 

if needed : window area 




window area(Window.Area) : - 

fget(Window, height, Height), 
fget(Window,width,Width), 
Area is Height * Width, 
freplace(Window,area,Area). 




door typel 

ako 

value : door 
panels 

value : 4 
symmetry 

value : yes 
doorway 

value : [columns, fan light] 




door type2 

ako 

value : door 


[continued) 



252 B YTE • JANUARY 1986 



Inquiry 108 



HUM 


SION 20 



Professional 

Modula-2 

for $89. 




Now the same powerful tools Micropro used 
to develop its latest word processing system is 
available to you at a new $89.00 price. 



Building Blocks for 
Tomorrow^ Technology 

Universities are switching to 
LOGITECH MODULA-2. Innovative 
programmers now develop applica- 
tions and products with LOGITECH 
MODULA-2. The most productive 
teams at major companies depend on 
LOGITECH MODULA-2. 
Now you can create your professional software devel- 
opment system using the proven technical sophistication 
of LOGITECH MODULA-2/86. 



Systems to Fit Your Needs. 

Base Language System iJSQ 

■ Compiler and Linker ^ 

■ Module Library 

Base Language System/8087 ^190 

■ Inline 8087 code. Wl^y 

Base Language System/512K (IM OQ 

■ Full 8087 support. ^ 1U:7 

■ Uses RAM to increase speed by 40 to 50 percent. 

■ 80186 and 80286 support. 

Run-Time Debugger $(SQ 

■ Monitors the execution of a program with 
user-defined breakpoints or by stepping through 
the program. 

■ Symbolically displays the source code, data, 
procedure call chain, and raw memory. 

MODULA-2 Editor 

■ Fast on-line Modula-2 syntax check. 

■ Can run compiler and linker from the editor. 

■ User definable templates for Modula-2 
syntax constructs. 

Utilities Package 

■ Decoders: Disassemble link and load files. 

■ Version: Administrate different versions of one program. 

■ Post-Mortem Debugger: Debugs a program after 
abnormal termination. 

■ Cross Reference: Produces a cross-reference 
listing of a Modula-2 program. 

Sources $179 

■ Sources to customize your system. ^ 

■ Run-Time System sources. 

■ Some library module sources. 

Not Copy Protected 



$59 



$49 



INTRODUCTORY OFFER 

Through theendof January yougetthe new 

MODULA-2 Editor for free with any purchase of the 

Base Language System. 



To place an order call our special toll free number: 

800-231-7717 

In California: 

800-552-8885 



A7^T7 C I want t0 create my professional software 
I ll/iJ 7 development system. Please send me the 
following building blocks: 

□ BLSS89 □ BLS/8087 S129 D BLS/512K S189 
DRTDS69* □ EDITOR S59* 

□ UTILITIES S49* □ SOURCES S179* 

*Sl0 lesswith the purchase of any Base Language System. 
Please add S5 for shipping and handling. 

□ VISA □ MASTERCARD □ CHECK ENCLOSED 



CARD NUMBER 



EXPIRATION DATE 



SIGNATURE 
NAME 



ADDRESS. 
CITY 



STATE. 



_ZIP_ 



.PHONEL 



1 ffl LOGITECH 

LOGITECH, Inc. 

: 805 Veterans Blvd., Redwood City,CA 94063,USA 

Telephone: (415) 365-9852 

LOGITECH SA 

Box 32,CH-1143 Apples, Switzerland 

I Telephone: 41 (21) 774545 



Inquiry 216 



JANUARY 1986 -BYTE 253 



Value Leader 
Since 1976 



1'/'«'1W/MJ.IiV 



PC-XT Mother Board 

IBM " Fully Compatible 

8088 Micro-Pcocessor 

with 8087 Math Pros Socket, 

8 1/0 Slots, 256K On Board Memoiy 

Assembled & Tested Board 

& All Components 

1 - $229 3-4 $21 9 

4-10 $200 Over 10 to// 

IBM is a trademark of 

International Business Machines 



PC Case 
with Hinged Top 

Easy, Quick Access 
Fits IBM PC/XT 
Mother Board 
Hardware for Mounting 
2 - 4 Drives 
Duality Case — All Metal 

1 -$79 2-3 $75 4-10 



Enhanced Keyboard 
for IBM PC 

Enlarged Return Key 
& Shift Key 
LED Indicators on 
Cap's Lock & 
Number Keys 
Fully IBM Compatible 
1 -$89 2-3 $85 4-10 $80 




PC-XT Compatible 
Includes 

640K RAM, 2 - OS 00 Oisks 360K 
135 Watt Power Suply 
2-RS232 Serial Ports 
1 Parallel Port 

Real Time Clock • Cal Bat Backup 
RAM Disk, Print Spooler 
Assembled & Tested! Everything you 
need except Monitor & Card 
1 -$1059 2-3 $1000 
^4-10 $975 20 Meg $1,575, 



1 35 WATT 
PowerSupply 

• 4 Drives Power Plugs 

• Side Switch Model like IBM 




r ^ 

Multifunction Card 

PRICE BREAKTHROUGH 

1 Serial Port 

Printer Port — Game Port 

Real-Time Clock-Calendar 

RAM Disk — Port Spooler 

Dptional second serial port available 

With 384 RAM $229 

3 or more $199 



PC PLUS " Add-Ons for IBM " PC & Compatibles 

Disk Controller Card 44 Game Adapter 23 

Disk I/O Card (2 Serial, Parallel * Color Graphics Caid 99 

Clock & Game) 113 Color Card/Parallel Port 119 

Parallel Printer Card 2 3 Mono Graphic Cd/Prinler Port 109 

Hi-Res Mono Card 85 Speaker 2.5D 

Serial Card 3D I/O Plus Card 99 



PAPER 

9Vi" x 11" Keen Edge 2 

914" x 11" Standard 2 

14%" x 11" Standard 3 

20 lb -other weights available 
2700 sheets per case 



M A. 



Oar networking and Integration department hat 

serviced many of the Fortune SO companies lor the past 

5 yean. Call and dlscnss your applications. 







New Advance Technology PC 
IBM PC/AT Compatible 

Single DS/DD 1.2 Meg Disk Drive 

512K RAM. Serial Parallel 

Amber 20 MHz Monitor (Pi3) 

Expandability tor up to t2 simultaneous users 

CZF-241-81 Ca n 

Four Plus 

Hard Disk System 

Sama as above including 40 Meg Hard Oisk 

CZW-241-82BU Call 



4 .2 DS/DD 360K Disk Drive 

I 384 RAM Memory, Amber 20 MHz Monitor Pi3 
mJ Built in ROM Diagnostics, I Expansion Slot 

CZF-148-42BU 1 ,350 

One Plus 

7 Expansion Slots 

CZF-I58-428U I ,850 

One Plus 

Hard Disk System. 2D Meg Winning 1/0S/0D 360K 
384 RAM Memoiy, 8 MHz with 7 Expansion Slots 
CZW-158-428U 2,429 



POllableS Zenhh Quality IBM Compatible 

Back Lit Screen 8 MHz 

2 Standard DS/DD/360K Drives 

640 x 200 Dot Graphs 

14.3 Lbs. 250K RAM 

czui-42 1,995 

I Trans Portable 
2 DD 360K Drives 
8 MHz Clock, 128K RAM 
24.2 lbs. 
CZM38-2I 1,299 



6J 



SOFTWARE 

for IBM. Macintosh Apple 
All Major Brands 

25% - 40% Off 

Call for pricing 

Corporation users volume 

purchase contracts available 

Call far money saving details 



, HARD DISKS . 

10 Meg biire >m e.i 299 489 689 
20 Meg hut im e*i 499 6«H 869 
30 Met) Call 

ft Mey Call 

WO Hard Disk Controller 190 



MODEMS 

(D Hayes JInchc*} 
Call 



CLOSEOUT 
SPECIAL 

Vic 20 sofiware grab bag 

3 assorted pieces 

S20 up to SI29 Value 

10 assorted pieces 

S55 up to S429 Value 

Act now while tfisyfastf 



EPSON 

RX-100 IX-BO Ca 

FX-85+ FX-I35 + Ca 

LO 1500 jxaa Color Ca 

Homewiier 10 Ca 
NEW LX-30 SO-2000 OX-10 

OX-20 HS-80 Ca 

free printer stand with each 
printer purchased! 



Canon 

Laser Beam Printer 

Many Advantages met HP 
Na Additional Cast Quantity Discounts 

IBM Parallel Interface 

h can THINK' Its a Diablo 630 

i Resident Fonts 

Downloadable Funis 

Chuose numbei ol copies ham keyboard 

For 8EST PRICE Calf 



Canon a-40 

Impact Dot Matrix Printei 



letter c 



Y 23 t 18 



140 cps 

3 kinds ol Graphic Image 

Selectable Lmefeeding 

IBM Prinlei Compatible 

Push Feed Ad|uslable Tractor 

Fanlold Single Sheet b 
Murtijiail Copy Paper Usable 
y More Features Only $259 



ORDERING INFORMA 7/0/VDrder by check, Mastercard or VISA. Personal checks take 15 days to clear, No wailing on certilied checks 
or money orders. Minimum shipping charge S4.00. MA residents add 5%. All items subject to availability. Prices subject to changes. 
Additional discounts available to qualified educational institutions. Requests for bid on volume requirements invited. Dealer inquiries 
invited. 




COMPUTERS 



Customer Service 
215-822-7727 

Use our TOLL FREE Order Line Mon-Fri 9am-6pm EST 

860-822-1211 

In PA: 215-822-7727 

252 BETHLEHEM PIKE, COLMAR. PENNSYLVANIA 18915 



VISION AI 



panels 






value 


6 




symmetry 






value 


yes 




doorway 






value 


[columns, portico, side. 


_windows] 


door type3 


' 




ako 






value 


door 




panels 






value 







symmetry 






value 


no 




doorway 






value 


[] 




door 






ako 






value 


thing 




area 






if needed : door area 




door area(Door.Area) : - 




fget(Door,height, Height), 




fgetfDoor.width.Width), 




Area is Heigh 


* Width, 




freplace(Door,area,Area). 




siding typel 






ako 


■ 




value 


siding 




material 






value 


■ clapboard 




width 






value 


narrow 




cornerboard 






value 


yes 




siding type2 






ako 






value 


siding 


\ 


material 






value 


aluminum 




width 






value 


wide 




cornerboard 






value 


no 




siding 






ako 






value 


thing 




house typel 






ako 






value 


house 




stories 






value 


3 




siding 






value 


siding typel 




roof 






value 


gable 




windowl 






optional : yes 




xposition : 2 




yposition : 3 




type : 


window type2 


{continued} 



254 B YTE • JANUARY 1986 



Inquiry 6 



INTRODUCING 

ORCHID'S 
S.W. AX TEAM 




The Multifunction Force That* s 
Superstuff ed With Advanced 
Technology. 

Every member of this team has the 
technology you need to get the job 
done: Lotus/Intel Expanded Memory 
Specification (EMS) breaks the 640K 
DOS limit. Powerful Productivity A 
Software including Disk Caching, ^ 4 j^ 
RAM Disk and Print Spooling. 



Switchless design makes installation 
easy and fast. All these boards come 
with a Two Year Warranty to prove 
our team means business. 

Finally, advanced technology in 
multifunction boards. 



ORCHID 



47790 Westinghouse Drive* Fremont, CA 94539 
(415) 490-8586 -Telex 709289 

ECCELL, Conquest and CramRAM are trademarks of 
Orchid Technology. Other products named in this document 
are trademarks of their manufacturers. 



Inquiry 268 



JANUARY 1986 'BYTE 255 



Inquiry 346 



GOOD NEWS FOR 
AT&F 6300 OWNERS! 

PC-DocuMates 
are now available for AT&T 

(America's best-selling 
keyboard template) 




1-800-762-7874 

Or see our ad on page 208 for details. 

VMrPi 



Systems Management Associates 
3325 Executive Drive, Dept.Y-3 
RO. Box 20025 
Raleigh, North Carolina 27619 , 



A GANG PROGRAMMER, 

A SET PROGRAMMER, 

A UNIVERSAL PROGRAMMER, 




I Corporation®' ,. 

I Instrument Systems Division 



1 \ - * 



E THESE: 
L TECHNOLOCIES 
A BYTE OF RAM 
CENTRONIC PARALLEL PRINTER 
PORT 
- 16 x 2 LIQUID CRYSTAL DISPLAY 
AND MUCH, MUCH MORE. 

• HIGHEST PERFORMANCE/COST 
RATIO AVAILABLE TODAY 
OTHER MODELS AVAILABLE 

• PRICES START AT $995 

• UV ERASERS FROM $67 

• AVAILABLE FROM STOCK 

CALL NOW TO ORDER 
(305) 994-3520 

1021 South Rogers Circle, Boca Raton, FL 33431 
(305) 994-3520, Telex 4310073 MEVBTC 



VISION Al 



window2 

xposition : 1 

yposition ; 2 

type : window type2 

window3 

xposition : 3 

yposition : 2 

type : window type2 

proto house 

ako 

value : house typel 

window4 

xposition : 1 

yposition : 1 

type : window type2 

door 

xposition ; 3 

yposition : 1 

type : door typel 

proto house mirror image 

ako 

value : house typel 

window4 

xposition : 3 

yposition ; 1 

type : window type2 



door 



xposition : 1 
yposition : 1 
type ; door typel 



Listing 3: The frame representation generated by the 


architectural system 


of a sample house. 






housel7 








ako 








value 


house 






stories 








value 


3 






siding 








value 


siding type2 






roof 








value 


gable 






windowl 








value 


w7 






window2 








value 


w12 






window3 








value 


w17 






window4 








value 


w23 






door 








value 


door37 






w7 








ako 








value 


window type4 






ipo 




/* is part. 


_of */ 


value 


house17 






xposition 








value 


2 




[continued) 



256 B YTE • JANUARY 1986 



Inquiry 46 



RUSH POSTAGE-PAID CARD 
FOR YOUR FREE CATALOG 

• COMPUTER ELECTRONICS training prepares you to service 
and repair all computers as you build your own 16-bit IBM 
PC compatible computer. Total system program includes disk 
drive, test equipment, bundled software, and NRI Discovery 
Lab. 

• TV/VIDEO/AUDIO SERVICING includes training with 27" 
color TV with built-in stereo decoder, VCR. and actual 
instruction on videotape. 

• SATELLITE COMMUNICATIONS training gives you the 
skills to service both commercial and consumer satellite 
earth station equipment as you assemble your own home 
satellite TV system. 

• ROBOTICS training features remote-controlled mobile pro- 
grammable robot you build, experiment with, and keep along 
with other test equipment. 

• INDUSTRIAL ELECTRONICS training prepares you to 
service and maintain computer-controlled industrial systems. 
Training includes color computer, disk drive, exclusive NRI 
training software, and NRI Discovery Lab. 



CHECK 
&ONE 






Name 


(Please Print) 






Age 


Street 


City 




State 


Zip 





D Computer Electronics 
D TV/Video/Audio Servicing 
LJ Satellite Communications 
CI Robotics 

□ Data Communications 
O Industrial Electronics 

□ Communications 
Electronics 

D Electronic Design 
Technology 

D Telephone Servicing 

Q Digital Electronics 

D Basic Electronics 

O Bookkeeping & Accounting 

D Appliance Servicing 

□ Small Engine Servicing 

CI Air Conditioning, Heating, 
Refrigeration, & Solar 
Technology 

D Locksmithing & Electronic 
Security 

□ Building Construction & 
Remodeling 

O Automotive Servicing 



Accredited by the National Home Study Council 



170-016 



For career courses approved 
under G.I. Bill □ Check for details. 



BUSINESS REPLY MAIL 

FIRST CLASS MAIL PERMIT NO. 10008 WASHINGTON, D.C. 



POSTAGE WILL BE PAID BY ADDRESSEE 

NRI Schools 

McGraw Hill Continuing 

Education Center 
3939 Wisconsin Avenue 
Washington, D.C. 20016-9973 



NO POSTAGE 

NECESSARY 

IF MAILED 

IN THE 

UNITED STATES 



I. .I. III. ..II II.IImI.ImI.ImIm.ImIIm.II.I 



NRI Trains You At Home— As You Build Your Own IBM-Compatible Computer 

GET THE KNOW-HOW 

TO REPAIR EVERY 
COMPUTER ON THIS PAGE. 



Learn the Basics the NRI 
Way -and Earn Good 
Money Troubleshooting 
Any Brand of Computer 

The biggest growth in jobs 
between now and 1995, 
according to Department of 
Labor estimates, will occur in 
the computer service and 
repair business, where demand 
for trained technicians will 
actually double. 

You can cash in on 
this opportunity— either 
as a fulltime corporate 
technician or an inde- 
pendent serviceperson— 
once you've learned all 
the basics of computers 
the NRI way. NRI's practical 
combination of "reason- 
why" theory and "hands-on" 
building skills starts you with 
the fundamentals of electronics, 
then guides you through advanced 
electronic circuitry and on into 
computer electronics. You also learn 
to program in BASIC and machine 
language, the essential languages for 
troubleshooting and repair. 

You Build-and Keep-a 
Sanyo MBC-550-2 

The vital core of your training is 
the step-by-step building of the 
1 6-bit Sanyo MBC-550-2 computer. 
Once you've mastered the details of 
this state-of-the-art machine, you'll 
be qualified to service and repair 
virtually every major brand of 
computer, plus many popular 
peripheral and accessory devices. 
With NRI training, you learn at 
your own convenience, in your own 
home. You set the pace— without 
classroom pressures, rigid night-school 
schedules, or wasted time. You build 
the Sanyo MBC-550-2 from the 
keyboard up, with your own personal 



IBM is a Registered Trademark of International 
Business Machine Corporation. 

Epson Is a Registered Trademark of Epson 
America, Inc. 

Apple and the Appie logo are Registered 
ar.lm 




NRI instructor and the complete NRI 
technical staff ready to answer your 
questions or give you guidance and 
special help whenever you need it. 

Praised by critics as the "most 
intriguing" of all the IBM-PC 
compatible computers, the new Sanyo 
uses the same 8088 microprocessor as 
the IBM-PC and features the MS/DOS 
operating system. As a result, you'll 
have a choice of thousands of off-the- 
shelf software programs to run on 
your completed Sanyo. 

Your NRI course includes 
installation and troubleshooting of the 
"intelligent" keyboard, power supply, 
and disk drive, plus you'll check out 
the 8088 microprocessor functions, 



using machine language. You'll also 
prepare the interfaces for future periph- 
erals such as printers and joysticks. 

100-Page Free 
Catalog Tells More 

Send the postage-paid 
reply card today for 
NRI's big 100-page 
color catalog on 
f NRI's electronics 
training, which 
gives you all the facts 
about NRI 
courses in 
Micro- 
computers, 
Robotics, 
Data 

Communica- 
tions, TV/ 
Video/ Audio 
Servicing, and 
other growing high- 
tech career fields. If the 
reply card is missing, write to 
the address below. 




Your NRI course includes the Sanyo 

MBC-550-2 Computer with 128K RAM, 

monitor, disk drive, and "intelligent" keyboard; the NRI 

Discovery Lab®, teaching circuitdesign and operations; 

a Digital Multimeter; Bundled Spread Sheet and Word 

Processing Software worth $1500 at retail— and more. 



r SCHOOLS 
McGraw-Hill Continuing Education Center 

3939 Wisconsin Avenue, NW g'l'dl 
Washington, DC 200 1 6 |5jfl| 

We'll Give You Tomorrow. 



JANUARY 1986 



IYTE 257 




WHAT UHLLIVE HAUE TO IMPORT NEXT. COLLEGE GRADUATES? 



Ever since World War I, most of the 
rest of the world hascometothe United 
States for the latest in technology. Now 
there's a real danger that the pendulum 
i s swinging the other way. We're importing 
know-how in many fields instead of 
exporting it. 

Unfortunately this situation will 
get progressively worse. Unless we 



protect American colleges from infla- 
tion. For our colleges and universities 
supply most of the important basic re- 
search upon which technological 
progress is built. 

So please give generously. If we keep 
the intellectual balance of trade in our 
favor the industrial balance most cer- 
tainly will follow. 



HELP PRESERVE AIYIERICAN KNOW-HOW. 

GIVE TO THE COLLEGE OF YOUR CHOICE. 



njl Mwttm ny looii Afc, GukJand i »l ADvtST^NOCOUNCn 



TOUGH LOCAL NETWORK PROBLEM: 

"How can our department gel our six computers and three 

printers to work together efficiently? We also want to 

he able to access outside data services and our 

future company LAN." 

SIMPLE $2995* SOLUTION: NetCommander 

NelCommander is a smart, small Local 

Area Network manager. It lets you link 

from four to 10 computers and peripherals — 

in any mix of models and makes. A 5 OK. buffer 

(expandable to 250k) makes sure that productivity 

is high — keeping fewer printers humming — while 

computer and PC users do their thing, without wailing 

for a printer, modem, or shared disk. Those devices can be 

specified with names defined by users — and allocated on the 

basis of availability and capability. And NelCommander handles 

multiple protocols and different baud rales simultaneously — 

without modifications to hardware or software. It will also lie into your 

company's LAN. The latest in a family of products in use since 1979. 

NelCommander is a smart, small, efficient network manager. 

For more information, call or write: 

-NetCommander 



Digital Products Inc. • The Simple Network Solution Company 

600 Pleasant Street • Watcrtown. MA •02172 

(617) <J21-I6S0 • Outside Mass., call 1-800-241-2133 

.hid check out our 30-day trial evaluation. 

• lor Mi ports 



VISION AI 



yposition 






value 


3 


w12 






ako 








value 


window type4 


ipo 








value 


house 17 


xposition 






value 


1 


yposition 






value 


2 


w17 






ako 








value 


window type4 


ipo 








value 


house 17 


xposition 






value 


3 


yposition 






value 


2 


w23 






ako 








value 


window type3 


ipo 








value 


house17 


xposition 






value 


3 


yposition 






value 


1 


door37 






ako 








value 


door type3 


ipo 








value 


house 17 


xposition 






value 


1 


yposition 






value 


1 



able performance using a modest set 
of generally available and easily 
understood tools. ■ 

REFERENCES 

1. Baird. H. S. Model-Based image Matching 
Using Location. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press. 
1984. 

2. Ballard, D. H., andC. M. Brown. Computer 
Vision. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 
1982. 

3. Brady, J. M., ed. Computer Vision. New 
York: Elsevier, 1981. 

4. Lowe. D. G. Perceptual Organization and 
Visual Recognition. Hingham, MA: Kluwer 
Academic Press, 1985. 

5. Minsky, Marvin. 'A Framework for Rep- 
resenting Knowledge." Cambridge. MA: 
MIT AI Memo #306 (1974). 

6. Winston. P. H. Artificial intelligence, 2nd ed. 
Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley. 1984. 

7. Brooks, R. A. Model-Based Computer Vision. 
Ann Arbor, Ml: UMI Research Press. 1984. 



258 B YTE • IANUARY 1986 



Inquiry 102 



Actually, we give you two things free. 

Our source code. And your freedom. 

Just buy part or all of our excellent integrated 
business accounting system, the SBT Accounting 
Software Library. 

We'll give you our source code absolutely free. 

Which, in turn, gives you the freedom to cus- 
tomize our software to fit your business needs. 

Say, for instance, you want to change the way 
a management report is formatted. Our free source 
code enables you to change it. 

What's more, the change will be quick and 
simple because our software is written in easy-to- 
use dBASE. 

In fact, the entire SBT Accounting Software 
Library runs with dBASE III or dBASE Ilf so you 
get the power and flexibility of those best- selling 
programs. Plus the freedom to use any computer 
that runs dBASE. 

The SBT Accounting Software Library. Great 
software and freedom. All in the same box. 



Call today for our demo disk and brochure. 

(415) 331-9900. 



THE SBT ACCOUNTING SOFTWARE LIBRARY. 


dProfessional 


Time & Billing 


$395 


dOrder 


Sales Order Processing 


$195 


dlnvoice 


Billing/Inventory Control 


$195 


d Statement 


Accounts Receivable 


$ 95 


dPurchase 


Purchase Order 


$195 


dPayable 


Accounts Payable 


$295 


dPayroll 


Payroll/Labor 


$395 


dLedger 


General Ledger/Finance 


$395 


dAssets 


Asset/Depreciation 


$195 


dProject 


Project/Job Accounting 


$395 


dBackup 


Menu/Backup 


$ 65 



sbt 



Three Harbor Drive 
Sausalito, CA 94965 
(415) 331-9900 




Call today for the name of the SBT consultant 
in your area. 



Free source code 
in every box. 



Accounting Software Library 
in dBASE H7dBASE IIP 



^Compiled versions are also available. dBASE III and dBASE II are registered trademarks of Ashton-Tate, Inc. Copyright 1985, SBT Corporation. 

Inquiry 399 for End-Users. Inquiry 400 for DEALERS ONLY. JANUARY 1986 • BYTE 259 



ELECTRONICS 



— ■MJ^JgNVA'i^ 



Commodore® Accessories apple* compatible computer accessories 




RS232 Adapter 
for VIC-20 and 
Commodore 64 



The JE232CM allows connection of standard serial RS232 
printers, modems, etc. to your VIC-20 and C-64. A 4-pole 
switch allows the inversion of the 4 control lines. Com- 
plete installation and operation instructions included. 

• Plugs into User Port • Provides Standard RS232 signal 
levels • Uses 6 signals (Transmit, Receive. Clear to Send, 
Request to Send, Data Terminal Ready, Data Set Ready). 

JE232CM $39.95 

VOICE SYNTHESIZER 
FOR COMMODORE VIC-20 AND C-64 

Plug-In — Talking in Minutes! 
JE520CM $99.95 

300 BAUD AUTO MODEM 
Mitey-Mo (For C-64) $74.95 

PARALLEL PRINTER INTERFACE 

FREE 2K Buffer Included! 

MW350 (For VIC-20 & C-64) $69.95 



TRS-80 Accessories 



EXPAND TRS-80 MEMORY 

TRS-80MODELI.nl 



Each Kit cc 
RAMs and 
pansion Interface 
expnnded from 16 



TRS-16K3 

TRS-16K4 250ns (Model 1). 



ighlMM5290(UPO<1t6/<ill6) 16K Dynamic 
for conversion. Model 1: 16K equipped wilh Ex- 
expanded to 48K wilh 2 Kits Model III: Can be 
K using 2 Kits Each Kit will expand computer by 



200ns (Model III) $5.95 

. . . $5.49 



TRS-80 COLOR AND COLOR II 

Easy 10 install Kit comes complete with 8 each 4164N-20 (200ns) 64K 
Dynamic RAMs and documentation for conversion Converts TRS-80 Color 
Computers with D, E, ET. F and NC circuit boards to 32K Also converts 
TRS-80 Color Computer II lo 6<1K Flex DOS or OS-9 required to utilize 
lull 64KRAM on all cor renters 

TRS-64K-2 $9.95 



TRS-80 MODEL 4, 4P 



TRS-64K-2 Expands Model 4 from 16K-64K or 

Model4Pfrom64K-128K S 9.95 

TRS-64K-2PAL Expands Model 4 from 64K to 128K S29.95 



• TRS-80 Model 1 00 -NEC •Olivetti 

Easy lo install Module plugs right into the socket increasing memory in 8K 
increments. Three modules will increase your memory to its lull capacity 
Complete with module and documentation for instaliation. 

MI008K (TRS-80 Model 100 Expansion) S29.95ea. or 3/S79.95 

NEC8KR (NEC PC-8201A) S29.95 ea. or 3/S79.9S 

OM108K (Olivetti MID) S29.95 ea. or 3/S79.95 

TANDY 200 

Easy lo install module plugs right mlo Ihe sockel increasing memory in 
24K mcremenls Complete wilh module and documentalion for installation 

S99.95 ea. or 2/S189.95 



M200R (Tandy 200 Expansi 



PROMETHEUS MODEMS 



Intelligent 1200/300 

Baud Modem with Real 

Time Clock/Calendar 

The ProModerrT is a Bell 212A (1200/300) intelligent 
stand-alone modem • Hayes command set compatible 
plus an additional extended command set • Shown with 
alphanumeric display option. 

PM12Q0 RS-232 Stand-Alone Unit $299.95 

OPTIONS FOR ProModem 1200 

PM-COM (Pro Com Communication Software) S 79.95 

Pbaiiespocily Operating Syslcm - 

Apple ProDOSorCP/M -or 

IBM PC DOS or MS DOS 

PM-OP512K (Communicalion Bulfer Option) S129.95 

BUF512K |512K Memory for PM-OP512KI S 54.95 

PM-ALP [Alphanumeric Display) S 79.95 

PM-Special#2 includes PM-OP512K. 

BUF512K and PM-ALP) S249.95 



DATA BOOKS 




210830 Intel Memory Components Hndbk. (1983/84) S14.95 

Contains all Application N i r! I ni I ' , .i r . t £ r ' i r 
disiqn ir!i(ir::icuiuiri n V ; i. IiAMs DUAM-. ! I 'lii :■[,'.:, U-PROMs and 
Bubble Memories (830 pages!. 

230843 Intel Microsystem Components Hndbk. (1983/84) S19.95 

Contains D.ii.i Stirnlr, en nil of iniel:-, M^rc-ijruarr.SLirr, if. peripherals - 

2 volumes (5575 pages) 

30022 National Logic Data Book Set (1984) S24.95 

Volumes I & II (3485 pages) 

Ci;:;L:ill:i „, !'!!.',. i : I in. I ,, r I G^W") "II 

' ;/.. ii .-IU.J..S 7400, 74 L. S, AS. LS and ALS Series devices, and 

1 ■ ■ , 



MM54C / 74C Is 



'1' : : 



.'LSI 



Muffin-Style & Sprite-Style Fans 



MUF60 (SPN3-1 5-2462) 
Howard Industries (4.68"sq..60cfm). 



. S9.95 



SU2C7 

EG&G Rotron (3.125" sq„ 32dm) S9.95 



5V*" Full Height Disk Drive 

and Controller Card 
for Apple II, 11+ and Me* 







5W Half-Height 

Disk Drive and 

Controller Card 

for Apple II, 11+ and He* 



ADD-Nt S129.95 



1 2" Monochrome Green 
Monitor for Apple II, II+, We and He* 

Also compatible 
with other computer 
systems using 
composite video. 

FEATURES: 

■ Composite vid-'i culpul 

■ li.mt! v.iilth 20MHz 
■Input impedance 750hm 
■M'.'!iolu!i;jn S'.iO l.nas - ctr 
■POwer consumu!;i.i:i. JOVV 

■ C<jlH|)N;l,! With lili/:,',ViVi'l 

monitor stand 
■Weighl: 19 lbs. 
• Size: 

14 5"W» 16"Dx 16.5"H 

3.95 




AMON. 



. $99.9 



1200/300 Baud Internal Modem 

for Apple II. Il+and lie' 

Complete with on-board software 

and all necessary hardware! 

PM1200A. $299.95 



1200/300 Baud 

Stand-Alone Modem 

for Macintosh 

PM1200M/MAC PAC provides everything 
you need (or Macintosh communications 
including: 

■ ProModem 1200 ■ Cable 

■ Communications Software (ProCom-M) 

NEW! Now Operates with Hayes and 

Compatible Modems ! 

PM1 200M (mac pac) S349.95 

ProCom-M <M ac .m OS h sort*™ Dn i V ) S 79.95 




iri-.i.li- i!..;jU' i :'i'PjJ.:"ff ■ Fu!y r ij • 



%u 



nilrjurubylJO(><;i-n::; -:■• .-/^ u 



APF-1 S39.95 



JE520 VOICE 
SYNTHESIZER 

tor APPLE II, Il+and lie' 
JE520AP..$119.95 



■ TvitloSl>cechrorApplell.ll-' and 

JltuS'i (lir-M ■ Uspd wilh JE520AP 

JE523TB S9.95 




APPLE Keyboard and Case for Apple II and II +* 



KEYBOARD (KB-A6B): 

■ G8 Keys • 15-KeyKeypad • Dire 
• Durable melal baseplate (wilh 



is KB-AGB ■ Pop- up lid tor easy access • Fits power supply 

o-Size: 15VWx1B'Dx4U"H 
SPECIAL FEAFURES: 

■ Automatic-key repeat • Cursor control/numeric keypad • Shitt key modified 
• 46 predefined lunclion keys (Applesolt, DOS commands & CP/M) ■ Upper/lowerc 
capabilities when used with SOcolumncardor U/L casechlp ■ lOuser-deline k 



KB-EA1 
KB-A68 
EAEC-1 



Keyboard and Case S99.95 

6B-Key Apple Keyboard only. S69.95 

Expanded Apple Enclosure Case only S34.95 




Disk! 



S«lM» 



I «J 



Five Key 128K RAM Card 

Software Programs! For Apple II, II + and //e* 

The JEB6B s lunclionally compalible wilh Ihe Apple II languagecard and can be 
utilized with all software that can be used with a standard I6K card The JE86B 
requires no moUilicahons to your Apple computer Five Key software programs are 
included Memory Management System, uhlities. diagnostics. demos and RAM disk 
emulalors tor DOS 3 3. CPM and Apple Pascal Alsofealures DOS relocator Comptete 

JE868 (Expand-A-RAM) S119.95 

Applesurance Diagnostic Disk Controller Card 
Prevents Crashes! For Apple II, II + and He* 

The JEB77 serves as a diagnoslic tool, an assurance/maintcnancetool and a dual 
disk drive controller The JES177 will veiily and check Ihe operating hardware of 
your system each time you turn on your Apple II. II+ or lie' Test your RAM. ROM 
CPU. and disk drives Diagnostic routines may be cancelled al Ihe louch ol a key 
Complete withinstructions 

JE877 (DRV-1 /Applesurance II) S69.95 




The JE8B0 Pr.n 



Parallel Printer Card 
For Apple II, II+ and He* 



wmmam 




poDuiaraoi-mainx graphic:, print. .,■:, Thu jEoKf) i-> lull/ < ompaliM,.' w.lh AppleCP/'M. 
Appli) Pascal (c- H ;l( IH,\Nl ,md nm;M o:h,<r t:p.-t Ll nrn j ■iv:.t..:iris and sottwnro 
p;ir;karji!s,>v.iiLilil.' in; Appli' I.. H ■ -iiu' /;.;■ Ihu .li SUUj ,:-, liiuuijurlconligurod Torino 
C.r-nli ij-iicG t,[,iii:l.irii .hkI cm l jr.' ie-i;uriliijuri!(1 fur ullici i-il.ii'ii.irdi:, it neccss.nv 
Ac]',',i:ii;i.'dtesl|;'iii!liii:il".iliir."-.nii.linJe video scree nechoO Nor OFF. an 

andmore! Complelewilh inslruclions 

JE880 (PRT-1) S59.95 

Parallel/Serial Buffer Card 
For Apple II, Il+and lie* 



JE880 (above) Parallel Card 



alleDsimullaneously Complete wilh 



i The JEBB3inclt 
erial (RS232) buttered outr: 
nlotwotypesot prir: 



JE883 (P/S Buffer) S79.95 




VERSACARD 

for the Apple II, 11+ and lie* 

VERSACARD provides the Apple user with lour 
most popular functions on one physical card. 
Through hardware address decode, VERSA- 
CARD looks to the Apple as if three different 
cards are installed: Serial, Parallel. Real Time 
Clock/BSR Control Interface. VERSACARD's 
hardware maintains complete compatibility with 
CP/M, Apple Pascal, and Apple ProDos, with no 
need forspecial disks. In addition, all standard 
Apple software using the PRt! and INS com- 
mands work normally. 

VERSACARD 1 lunclionson one card SERIAL. PARALLEL. REAL TIME CLOCK/CALENDAR. BSR. . . S169-95 

PM-ROM ( )* Grnphilti Upgrade ROM (Allows high resolution graphics) S39.95 

PM-SC Serial Cable tor VERSACARD: S26-5'-DB25P (Male) S24.95 

PM-PC Parallel Cable lor VERSACARD S20-5'-Cenlronics (Male) $24.95 



Jameco's New 1986 Catalog! 

Filled with New Products, Reduced Pricing 

and Valuable Pin-out Data. 

Send $1 Postage for FREE 19&6 Jameco Catalog! 



$20 Minimum Order - U.S. Funds Only CA Residents: Add 6 to or 6%% Sales Tax Spec Sheets - 30C each 

Shipping: Add 5% plus SI. 50 Insurance Send S1 Postage lor FREE 1988 Jameco Catalog Prices Subject to Change 

Send stamped, self-addressed envelope to receive a Quarterly Sales Flyer - FREE! 




BE 



ameco 



VISA* 



1355 SHOREWAY ROAD, BELMONT, CA 94002 
PHONE ORDERS WELCOME - (415) 592-8097 - Telex: 176043 



IBM® Accessories 



IBM PC/XT Compatible 
Keyboard 




IBM-5151 (Equivalent to Keytronics" 5151) $129.95 

Additional Add-Ons Available! 

IBM-Case Computer Case $ 59.95 

IBM-KB Keyboard $ 79.95 

IBM-FCC Disk Controller $ 79.95 

IBM-MCC Monochrome Card $ 99.95 

IBM-MON 12" Monitor $109.95 

IBM-ICB Color Card $149.95 

IBM-E384K 384K RAM Card $199.95 

IBM-MB Motherboard $349.95 

IBM-10MBK 10MB HH Hard Kit $599.95 

IBM-20MBK 20MB HH Hard Kit $799.95 

O >^ IBM PCXT Equivalent 
i 130 Watt Power Supply 

UPGRADE YOUR PC! 

• Input: 1 10V @60Hz- Output: +5VDC @ 15A, -5VDC @ 
0.5A, +1 2VDC @ 4.2A, -1 2VDC @ 0.5A • Plug compatible 
connectors • Fits into IBM PC • Weight: 6 lbs. 

IBM-PS $99.95 




Prometheus Modems 

The ProModem 1200B/BS is a 1200/300 baud modem 
card which plugs into IBM PC and XT Provides a third 
serial Comport. Two versions available: 1200B (without 
software) and 1200BS (with software). The PM1200BS 
is supplied with powerful MITE communications software 
from Mycroft Labs. Software available: PC DOS or MS DOS. 

PM1200B (without Software) $239.95 

PM1 200BS (with MITE Software) $274.95 



ibN" |C ! DISK DRIVES 




Documentation "** 
Included 

RFD480 (Remex 514" DS full-ht.) $69.95 

FD55B (Teac5!ii"DShalf-ht.) $99.95 

SA455 (Shugart 5'A" DS half-ht.). . . . $99.95 

TM100-2 (Tandon 5VT DS full-ht.) $99.95 

JMR 5V4" DISK DRIVE ENCLOSURES 

Complete with power supply, switch, power cord, 
fuseholder and connectors 

DDE-1FH (Houses 1 full-ht. 5'," floppy drive) . . $ 69.95 

DDE-2HH iHouses 2 half -hi . 5V e _- __ 

floppy drives - vertical) $ (3.33 

HDDE-1 FH mouses I hard drive) . $199.95 



General Application Keyboards 




Mitsumi 54-Key 

Unencoded 

Keyboard 



• SPST keyswitches ■ 20 pin ribbon cable connection 

• Low profile keys • Features: cursor controls, control, 
caps (lock), function, enter and shift keys ■ Color (key- 
caps): grey • Weight: 1 lb. • Pinout incl. • Size: 13W'L x 
4%"W x %"H 

KB54 $9.95 




74-Key 
ASCII 
Cherry 
Keyboard 



■ 7-bit parallel ASCII • Full Upper Case, Full Lower Case 
except I, m, n, o and p. ■ Cursor keypad ■ SPST mechani- 
cal keyswitches • 26-ptn header connector ■ Color: white 

Size: 18"L x e'VW x 1 V'H ■ Spec included 
KB8201 (1500 available) $14.95 



UV-EPROM ERASER 



8 Chips - 21 Minutes | 



[ 1 Chip -15 Minutes 



Erases a!IEPROMs. Erases up toB chips within 21 minutes (1 chip 
in 1 5 minutes). Maintains constant exposure distance of one inch. 
Special conductive foam finer eliminates static build-up. Built-in 
safety lock to prevent UV exposure. Compact - only 9.00'L x 
3.70"W x 2.60"H. Complete with holding tray for B chips. 

DE-4 UV-EPROM Eraser $74.95 

UVS-11EL Replacement Bulb S17.95 



260 BYTE* JANUARY 1986 



Inquiry 1 79 



^iiii4w«i 



ELECTRONICS | 



NEW LOW, LOW PRICES!!! J 



ELECTRONICS 



CALL for quantity discounts j SPECIAL!! SPECIAL!! SPECIAL!! 



Pirlffo. 



:wmn 

V|,".i|l!l 

SU7403N 
SN/404N 
SN7405N 
SN740CN 
SrJ7407f| 
SH7408N 
SN7409N 
ST7410N 
SN7411N 
SH7412N 
SN7413N 
'.NMMN 
.:.,V/Tih,,'j 
SN/417N 
SN742W 

SN7422U 
SU7423N 
SN7425N 
SN742GN 
SN7427N 
SN7428N 
SN7430N 
SH7432N 
SN7433N 

SM7438M 
SN7439N 
Sf 7440H 
SK744IM 

SN7442N 
SN7443N 
SN7444N 
SN744SN 
SN7446N 
SN7447N 
SN7448N 
SN7454N 
SN7459N 
SIJ7400N 
SN7470N 
SN7472N 
SN7473N 



74LS0O 
74LS01 
74LS02 
74LS03 
74LSD4 
74LS05 
74LS06 
74LS07 
7-1LS08 
74LS09 
74LS10 
74LS1I 
74LSI2 
74LS14 
74LS15 
74LS20 
741S21 
74LS26 
74LS27 
74LS28 
74LS30 
71LS32 
74LS33 
74LS37 
74LS38 
71LS12 

74LS48 
74LS51 

/•!iy,.i 
74LS73 

74LS75 
74I.S76 
74LS85 
74LS86 
74LS90 
74LS92 
74LS93 
74LS96 
74LS107 
741S109 
74LS112 
74LSI22 
74LSI23 

74LS132 



74SOO 
74502 
74S04 
74S05 
74.,r,H 
74SO0. 
74S10 
MS11 
74SI5 
74S20 
74S22 
74S30 
74S32 
74S37 
74S38 
74S64 
74S65 
74S74 
74S85 
74SB6 



74ALSOO 

,mai:,i;/ 

/4ALSH5 
74ALS08 
MAIS 10 

i-iM-;.// 

74ALS30 



JMF00 
74F02 

74F04 
74FQ8 

/■'.I 111 
Ml V 
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74rsri 

/■•JWl 



i::m<jdi 

CD4002 
CD4006 
CD4U07 
0)4008 
CQ4009 
C04010 
C040I1 
C04012 
CHOI 3 
C040I4 
CO40I5 
KM 016 
CD4017 
CO40I8 
C04019 
CD4020 
C04021 
C04022 
CO4023 
C1M021 

r,ii4ii.' ! , 
ctMoa 

\:\m>! 

CU4Q28 

n;-n."i 

i.U.ilJ.M 
i:ii.nii!, 

i:;.i-'.i...lll 

i.ij.uiii 
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SW474N 

SN7475N 
SN7476N 
SNM73N 
SN7480N 
SN7482N 
SN7483N 
SN7485N 
S1J7486N 
SN7489N 
SN749IN 
SN7491N 
SN7402N 
SN7493N 
SN7494N 

SN7496N 
■■■n/.\-;t; 
SN741MN 
SW74I05N 
SrJ74107N 
SW4109J 
SN7411GN 
SN74I2IM 
SN74122N 
SN74123N 
SN74125N 
SH74126N 
SN74128N 
SN74I32N 
SH74136N 
SN7414H 
SN74142 i 
SH74143N 
SN74144N 
SN74145N 
SN74147N 
SN74148N 
SN/4150N 
SN7415IN 
SN74152N 
SNM153N 
Srl74l54N 
SN7415SN 
SN74156N 
SN74157U 
SN74158N 



Prig I 

SN74159N 24 

SN74160N IB 

SN74161N 16 

SN74162N IB 

SN74163N IB 

SN74164N 14 

SN74I65N 16 

SN74166N IB 

SN74167N 16 

SN74170N 16 

SN74172PJ 24 

SN74173N 16 

SN74174N 16 

SN74175N 16 

■ SN74I7GN 14 

SN74177N 14 

SN74179N 16 

SN74I80N 14 

SN74181N 24 

SN74I82N 16 

SH74184N 16 

SN74185N 16 

SW41B9N 16 

SN74I90N 16 

SN74191 i 16 

SN7-1192N 16 

SN74193N 16 

SN74194N 16 

SN74195N 16 

SN7419GN 14 

S.N74197M 14 

SN74I98N 24 

SN74199N 14 

SN74221N 16 

Sf 74251N 16 

SN74273M 2D 

SN7427SN 20 

SN74279N 16 

SN74283N 16 

SN74284N 16 

SN74285N 16 

SN74365N 16 

S J74366N 16 

SH74367N 16 

SN743G8N 16 

SN74390N 16 

SN74393N 14 



741S133 
74LS136 
74LSI38 
74LS139 
74LS145 
74LS147 
7.11S148 
74LS151 
74LS153 
74LS154 
741SI55 
74LS156 
74LS157 
74LSIS8 
74LS160 
74LSI61 
7.1LS162 
74LS163 
74LS1G4 
74LS1G5 
74LS1GG 
74LS1G8 
/4LS1G9 
74LS170 
74LS173 
74LS174 
MLS •:; 
74LS181 
74LS189 
74LS190 
74LS191 
74LS192 
741S193 
74I.SJ94 
74LS195 
741S196 
74LS197 
74LS221 
74LS2-IO 
74LS241 
741S21? 
741S243 
74LS244 
74LS245 



wmm 



74LS253 
74LS257 
74LS258 
74LS259 
74LS260 
74LS26! 
74LS266 
74LS273 
74LS279 
74LS280 
74LS283 
741S289 
74LS299 
741S322 
74LS323 
741S347 
74LS3S3 
74LS364 
74LS365 
74LS366 
74LS3G7 
74LS3G8 
74LS373 
74LS374 
74LS375 
74LS377 
74LS38G 
74LS390 
74LS393 
74LS399 
74LS490 
74LS533 
74LS534 
74LS540 
74LS541 
74LS590 
74I.S624 
741S629 
74LS640 
741S641 
74LS644 
74LS645 
74LSG70 
74LSG88 
81LS95 
81LS96 
81LS97 
8ILS98 



/■i:,i.m 


IB 


275 


7-ISI.il' 


14 


1.49 


MS) >„i 


16 


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4.95 


Msi»jy 


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395 


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lb 


.79 


74S175 


lb 


.79 


MS IBS' 


lb 


1.75 


K2 

74ALS32 


14 


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.39 


74ALS74 


14 


55 


74AISI09 


16 


.55 


74ALS1 12 


16 


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16 


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16 


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1.29 


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1,29 


MI!',H 


16 


1.29 


/.'.I i'i:i 


16 


4.95 


74F240 


20 


2.49 



74S189 
74S194 
74S195 
74S196 
74S240 
74S241 
74S242 
74S244 
74S251 
74S253 
74S257 
74S258 

74S280 
74S287' 
74S288' 

74S373 
74S374 
74S472* 



■ s ■ 



74F241 
74F244 
74F251 
74F253 
74F257 

74r.)7:-; 

74F374 
74F379 



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CD4047 

(■J.M.M 

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CD40G8 

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CD4U75 
CD407G 

(;t.''.n,v 
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6 



IUV.1KI.) 

CO4E.0B 
CIM5IU 
f;;.l:.M 
CW512 
C045I4 
CD4515 

CD4518 

:•;■.. 

OM528 

CD4531 IB 

C04538 16 

CD4541 14 

C04543 16 

CD4553 16 

CD4555 16 

CD455G 16 

CO4560 IE 

CD45G6 16 

CU4583 16 

CD4584 14 

CD4585 16 

C04723 IE 

CD4724 16 

MCI441I 24 

MCI4490P IE 

MCI 4572 IE 



74A1S174 16 

74ALSI75 16 

74ALS240 20 

74ALS244 20 

74ALS245 20 

74ALS373 20 

74ALS374 20 

74ALS573 20 



(M) MOTOROLA 



MC68701 - Microcomputer with EPROM 

The MC68701 is an 8-bit single chip microcomputer unil (MCU) which signilicanlly 
enhances the capabilities ol the MC6800 lamily ot Paris On-chip resources include 
2048 bytes Ot EPROM. 128 byles ot RAM. Serial Communications Interlace (SCI), 
parallel I/O. and a ihrce (unction Programmable Timer 

MC68701 $24.95 



CUSTOM COMMODORE CHIPS 

for VIC-20, C-64 and C-128 Personal Computers 

Description Price Part No. Description Price Part No. Description Price 



*6S10 CPU $19.95 

*6525 TPI $20.95 

'SPECS. AVAILABLE ffi $1.50 EA. 



'6526 CIA $25.95 

k 6560 VIC-I $29.95 

'6567 VIC-II $44.95 



'6581 SID . . $32.95 

82S100PLAPLA.. $37.95 

NOTE:82S100 = U17(C-64) 



MICROPROCESSOR COMPONENTS 



D765AC 

lj'4'l; '.'(.I 

26fit-3 
03242 



280 

280C1C 

2B0-DARI 

2800UA 

Z80P10 

Z80-S10/0 

ZBO-SIO.'I 

ZB0S10/2 

ZH0-SI0/9 

ZBOA 

Z80AC1C 

ZflUA DAR1 

Z80A-DMA 

ZflOA-PIO 

Z80AS 10/0 

Z80A-S10M 

ZS0A-S10J2 

280A-Sl0f9 

^808 

280II-CIC 

Z80U-0ART 

ZHOIM'IO 

Z80B-SIO/0 

Z800-SIO/I 

Z80B-S10/2 



6520 
6522 
G532 
6545 



GB09 
G809E 
G8I0 
68810 
6821 
G8IJ21 
6840 



68488P 

G86G1 
G8701 



3031 

W.\fy 
MVi'i 

Boea 

1073N 
Q80A 

B0S5A 
8085A ! 

B0H6-2 

8087 

808/-2 

iilWK 

H1« 



8202 
8203 

.i.'ir, 

8212 

8224 

8228 

h,';i/-s 

B238 



H/.-li 



K'S.i '. 

H?55 

8255A-5 

B25T-5 

82/2 

■»,'/.) 
.;.'/:, 
K'/'.i 
8279-S 

8?H2 

:.'■•: 
■;■:■., 
■:.••:/ 
■sv<i 



iiiiiw 



MICROPROCESSOR CHIPS 

Pins Fiirolign Ptim 

40 F!:«, v Ih.i, CiTili,!'--" 495 

40 DPU2.5MW ')% 

28 tn(i.nur,: [>•■.; l';,-tmi inXri^e 6.95 

26 Adrii Mullijiicwr X ■ Helicsh Counter 695 

-Z80. ZBOA. Z80B. SERIES 

40 CPU rMK388ONJ|780CI2.5MHi 1 75 

28 Counter Timer Circuit t 79 

40 Dual AsyncflionousRec /trans- 4.95 

40 Direct Memory Accks Circuit ■> 95 

4D Parallel l'Olnlcrt«ceCoiilroller . . 1 79 

40 Serial M) I kCBartdH,<C6 Banded I 195 

40 SeirallrOtLatVs DtRBl 495 

40 Serial 1/OlLacks SYNCH) -195 

40 Serai DO i 95 

40 CPUIMK3880N-4K780C-1I4MII?. 185 

28 Counier limcr Cucuil 1 )]<) 

40 Oual Asynclironiius RecTlrans 5?5 

40 Oirecl Mernwy Access Circuit 595 

40 Parallel I'D Interlace Cunlroller. t()5 

40 Senai HO ITuCIJ .nicl RjCB Bonded) 5 25 

40 Serial 1/OlLacksOTHB) 5 25 

40 Serial I/O (Lacks SYKOD 525 

40 Sefall/0 . , , . .525 

40 CPU MK.3880H-G) GMH7 3.95 

28 Counter Tuner Cucuil. 495 

40 Oual AsyncliionoiisRecTrans . 6.95 

40 Parallell/0 luKiljcd Cmiltollcr 4 95 

40 Scr.l/0(fxCI3 S JUCflBond ) (MK3884-6I 1295 

40 Sctial I/O ILicks OTRB) 1285 

40 Senall/D [Locks SYNCB) 12 79 

-6500/6800/68000 SERIES 

40 MPllwilhCiocMIMtbl 2 75 

40 MPU with Clock (2MH2) 2.95 

40 MPtlwithCIOCk OMH2) 6.95 

40 Penpherallnte* AdaDlei . ,295 

40 Veisatileinter Adapter . . 495 

40 RAM I/O. timer Array 649 

40 CRT Controller (CIMCl -195 

28 Asynr. Cowin Interlace Adapt. 6.95 

40 MPU . 1 95 

40 MPUwilhCI»:kandRAM. . .. 495 

40 CPU - 8-Bil lOnChip Oscillator! 5.75 

40 CPU - 8-Bit lExternal Clockmq) 595 

24 128x8 SialrcRAM 1 95 

24 128xBSlaticllAM I2MH21 . 349 

40 Perrprieral ln1erAdapt.(MC6820l 1 95 

40 ftripNera! Hzl . 395 

28 Prograrnmaiilelimei 6.75 

40 Pujqramni. ol.'er IL'95 

40 CHI Crjnlroller (CRICI. . . 495 

40 CHTConlrr)llerlCRTC)2MHz G95 

24 Asynchiortous Cnilnii Adapter , . , . 1.95 

24 i ,", 

24 O-GOObps Digital MtDIM 795 

64 MPU l6-Bit(8MIH) 995 

40 General Purpose Inl Aiiaplet . 1495 

28 EtiiiancedProg Comni.lnlcrOcc (2GG1) 895 

40 Microconipuler wild EPROM 2495 

8000/80000 SERIES 

40 ConlrolDfienled CPUw/HAKSlzO. 695 

40 MPU-Siiil 195 

40 CPU-Sol C1iip8 0i1(128dts RAMI. .2/5 

40 CPU - B-Bit NMOS 14.95 

40 CPII w/ftisic Micro Interpreter 29 95 

40 CPU 395 

« CPU 275 

40 CPUS-Brt M-Chamicl<5W.H}l 4 95 

40 CPU 16-Oit BMHi . 8 95 

40 Anllimetic Piocesw t5MHzi . , 12995 

40 Arithmetic Piocksd; 13995 

40 CPU8/160d 7.95 

IB Oual Baud Hale Generator 895 

40 HMOS HAM I/O Poil-iimer. . .. .2 75 

40 RAM wiin I/O tort aridlimer 2.75 

40 Dynamic RAM Controller 995 

40 64K Dynamic RAM Contioller 2995 

16 Hi Speed I outol BBinaryDeeoder. 329 

24 8-Bitlnpul/Oulput I74S'J12). . . . 1 95 

16 Clock Gcneralnr/Dnver . . 2.25 

28 Sys Con! /Bus Driver (745426) j-!'! 

40 HijMPoil PrO(| DMACorlt. (5MHz) ..... G.95 

28 Syslern Conlrollei (74S4381 . . 429 

24 l/OExparitlcr lor 48 Series. ,...., . 2,49 

40 Async. Conim Elemerll , 6 96 

40 ACEiJBMPCorXrSollWircCompaliblc) Ml'j 

28 Prog Conim I/O IUSART) ...... 1,95 

2B Prog Comm Interface (USART). ... 225 

24 Pioq.ranim.iblt; Inteival Timer 2.25 

24 Programmable Interval Timer. 9.95 

40 Prog Penptieral I/0(PP1I 1.95 

40 Pro.) Peripheral 111 1FPI1 5Mrb. . . , 2.25 

40 Prog DMA Conrroller .... ? jg 

28 Prog Interrupt Conlrol 2 25 

28 Prtq Inteiiupt Qinlmllcr . 2 49 

40 Sqle/Ohle Densdy Floppy Disk Com 4 95 

« '/ ' ■ ■■ ■: 

40 Prog CR1 Conlrollei 1495 

40 Pro.) Kcylward'lhspiay interlace. . 249 

40 Prori Kiryiw.irii.'l)ispi:iy Inlert.icc. 2.95 

20 Octal Latch 3 95 

18 Clock Generalw/Driver. 2 95 

20 Octal Bus Fransceiwr ... 395 

20 Octal Bus transceiver (inverted) ... 3.95 

20 !j,, (.><■, rrrJIw ... 4 95 

20 Bus Arbiter 14.95 

40 rill ijrw F\rri|:fn>rai Interface . B95 

40 HMOS EPHUM MPU 7,95 

-11) Mill :i;,i 1! im.,.',! v ■■.!■■!•. .::;-VJ49l . . . 995 

.0 'Mi . 1K..H I I'ihJM *, 128x8 RAM. . 29.95 

111 1i.KiCilOM-.vhM) 14.95 

W 1 ■:.:i.il!-n M> (hi MPU . , 49.95 

68 Hiilhlnlnr.i l'i|i,tVi-!lin;.l[!.i:,i:i.i,i :■) -. 

40 Nlllinifll. l l iii:r',-:t:'(<l 22J'i'. 



Low Profile 

hrl Ko. 1.9 



pin) Sockets 

1099 100 up 



8 pinlP 13 

l4pinLP .15 

16 pinLP 17 

lBp-nLP .25 

20pmLP .28 

22 pm LP 30 

2! pin LP .3! 

28pmLP .39 

'lOom LP 49 



Soldeilail [Gold) Standard 
Part Nd. 1.9 10-99 100 up 



8 pin SG .39 .35 

14pinSG 49 45 

16prnSG 55 49 

18pmSG .65 59 

20p.nSG .75 65 

22pmSG 79 69 

24 pin SG 79 69 

28pmSG .95 .85 

36pinSG 125 1 15 

40pmSG 1.39 125 



4027 
41 KIN 15 

■!)Im'J-?-i 
4128 

1 ;<.'.)(, -"ij 

TMS4416-12 

>,",*■.-.■■ 1 

8118 

■I!.'--; II,:., 

-ii;m,,'i..u 

50464-15 



IMM2016 12 



2111 
2112 
21 UN 

2125A 



5101 
HM6116LP-3 

HM6264LP-12 
HM6264P-15 

/ 
6514 



1300ns) 

1250ns) 

Jl50nsl 

1200ns) ... 

)2(K)ns) 

1 1 50ns) 

(200ns) 

(120ns) . 

(300ns) 

I365nsl 

(250ns) ... 

1200ns) 2107 

(200ns) 
._ 1G.38-M (120ns)(+5V Only Red) 
16 262. 144.1 (150ns) 

10 262,144x1 1200ns) 

18 G5.53GX-1 (150rts)(41254)(41464l. 

STATIC RAMS 

24 2048x8 1 120ns) . 



■ly.Ki.i 
i6,;t(i4«i 

16.384x1 

65.536x1 

16.38-1x4 

1021x1 

2048x1 

4096x1 

.1096x1 

8192x1 



22 256x4 

16 102-1x1 

16 102.1x1 

18 256x4 

16 256x4 
18 

18 1024x^1 

18 1024x4 

18 1024x4 

18 1024x4 

24 2048x8 

16 t024x1 

18 4096x1 

18 1024x4 

18 1024*4 

16 250x1 

20 1024x4 

22 256x4 

18 4096x1 

24 2048x8 

24 2048x8 

24 2048x8 

24 2048x8 

28 8192x8 
8192x8 
8192x8 
8192x8 

18 102Jx.t 



I450rts) 8101 

1350ns) 

(250ns) LP (9IL02i 

(450ii5|8111 

(450ns) MOS. 

(450ns| 

l-l!.l>-:;lL.P 

(200ns) .- 

• i,'ili;::-,l LP .... 
)S) . 
l, l! .iiii.,ii.PNI*B . 
i-1'iri-.i !l-;h 
I /On:;) 
(70ns). . 

KSrm 

i^'Jrlsi LP . , 

(450ns) . 
<450ns) CMOS 
(450ns) 4044 

V 
1150ns) LR CMOS. 

MOS , . . 
; CMOS, 

MOS 

|1?Ons)LPCMOS. 
HSOnslCMOS. 

F CMOS 
l350ns)CMOSlUPS)44.lCi 



(35nsi 
..is-,si 5101 



l/O.'A 

iMi;. ; Mh 

IV:,.-..;. 1 

IM:i.".i-1 

2708 

IMS.'/sr, 

2/ If. 

//Clf- 

,'/!(, I 

2732 

.'.'i'A.v. 
2732A-25 
2732A-J5 

.><rx 
;v5« 
.■/M :-,.) 
:'7i,v:-'5 

2/64A 25 

.'/.,!.!', 

27C64 
27128-25 

mw& 

.;«,.-,. y- 

68764 

■ /-■ 
74S1BI 

/::,:■:.,' 
I Mi ?,w 
/■i:;.wi,- 
/■t:;-i/i 

/!.:-l/.' 

,■■;:,:/.: 
/i;t/.i 
,-■.'.:;■!/■. 
. :■ :,- 
,:■■„',, 
/-;:;',/ i 
:'.:,■;/; 
,-",:;■./:( 
'i.-;„'l 
»:'!,! I:, 
'Cl.'i 
,:,':,!/:; 

h; "I 

i);'Si30 
-,.-:; l:r, 



24 .1095x11 
28 «!9;!x 



24 



1024x11 
24 

24 2046x8 

24 2018x8 

24 204Bx8 
24 

24 4090x8 

24 4096x8 

24 4096x8 

24 409GxB 

24 1024x8 

28 8192x8 

28 8192x8 

28 8192x8 

28 8192x8 



(450ns) 

H50tis) NMG2532. 
(450ns). 

(450ns) 

(450ns) 3vmiaqe . 
(450ns) 
CMOS . , , 
1350ns) 
1450nsl . . . 
(200ns) 2W 
i250ns) 21V 
1450ns) 2iv 
CMOS 



24 8192x6 

24 8192x8 

16 32x8 

16 256x4 



..■.:n- i;mv 

l,':.':ii:0 2)V 

, '. : •■;■ ■■.■ 

aiy^xo CMOS 21V 

16.384x8 (250ns)l2SK2W 
16.38.txB (250nsH28K 125V 
32.768x8 (250ns) 256K(14VI 
32.768x8 (250ns) 250K ICMOS) 
1450ns) 25V 
. 

5330-1) . 

■ " G301-I). 

: -, 

300 1 1 

PROM 6309-D . 

349 1) , 
1- IM i5348) , 
■ '• MflTSTbMl) 

PHOM DC. (6340) 
■-.■.' 

PflOM C 16305). 
• |6306). . 
PflOM OX. 163521. 
PflOM !82S137I. 
PROM I27S181. . 
PflOM (27S15). . , 
I l.i.'. 1 

■.'.'■:■ 

:,:i\- 1". •■-:'! 1 

.',-. IM i.'/M. 1 ! 

Ill' IV IS lltll'.-MSnll 

IBOns) 

1024x8 PHOM IS I82S181) 

DATA ACQUISITION- 



20 




711 




70 




74 




74 


■ 


Ifl 


1 4x1 


1H 


512x4 


IK 




18 




18 




1H 


32x8 






1H 




IK 




1H 




IK 




IH 




24 






Wire Mao t^g 

Sockets ■■' 
(Gold) Level 113 

ftllNij. 19 18 99 IDOi 



55 



M pin WW .69 
16ptnWVV .75 
IBpmWA/ 85 
20piirrVW 95 
22pm\V\V .99 
24IHII WW 1.19 
28pinWW139 
"i pin WW 1.49 
) Inn WW 1.79 



.59 



Header Plugs [Gold) 

Pan Hq l-i 10 99 100 up 



14 inn HP 

11, l :iMP 
24 inn HP 


55 

99 


l-i 
55 


15 

■1') 



Header Covers 

14pn.HC IS 13 
16p:nHC .19 17 
2-1 pin HC .29 27 



S20 Minimum Order - U.S. Funds Only CA Residents: Add 6% or 6Vi% Sales Tax Spec Sheets - 30c each 

Shipping: Add 5% plus SI. SO Insurance SendSI Postage for FREE 1986Jameco Catalog Prices Subject to Change 

Send stamped, self-addressed envelope to receive a Quarterly Safes Flyer- FREE! 




, ■!■■,—. . 



arneco 

1355 SHOREWAY ROAD, BELMONT, CA 94002 
PHONE ORDERS WELCOME - (415) 592-8097 - Telex: 176043 




EEPROM 



2816A 24 2048x8 16K EEPROM 350ns. . .$8.95 

Features: ■ On-board Address/Data Latches ■ Auto-Timed Byte Write (on 
chip timer) • SV Erase/Write/Read • Optional High Voltage Erase/Program 
(9V-1SV) • Power Up/Down Write Protection • Auto Erase before Write 
The 2816 A rs an idea) nonvolatile memory providing in-system a 
with the some ease and wrlh the same lenlures as 2Kx8 Sialic RAMs 



Digitalker 



\J I I U&U — ApplrcilrrjiUiTeactling Jills ipjilnnices. clocksaulomoliKClElecommurlications, 

ranguatte IraruWions. elc. The [)I1050is;i 1. toil DlGllALKER hit tncorJta svilli 137 si-fiamtc 
;:nrl ii«;f>lul vvtmls 2 loiif , jml 5 iWlciciit silcrici: (liii.ilnu.s the vrorrls and tones h.w Ociin 
nssiunal <Iisi:ii:Iii ,-iii(lressi>s, m.ikintj il | ili< ! In iillml nirjli' v/ords ;w winds cont.w.'ii.iled 
150 is J luclily mlelltq !)lf m,nc 
voce The 011D50 carrsisls ol i Speech Processar Chip HHS41C4 |4fl-pm| and tin |Z) Speech ROMs 
HM521D4SSR1 and MM521C4SSR2 |2J-pm) along with i Master WtrrJ hsil anrl a recDirmended schemilic 
diagram oniric appticalionshect. 

DT1 050 Digitalker' $24.95 ea. 

MM54104 Processor Chip $12.95 ea. 

DT1 057 - E ipjnds the 01 1 050 wcibulary kprn 137 lo over 2SQ words, lncl 2 ROMs and specs 

Part No. DT1 057 $1 1 .95 ea. 



INTERSIL 



FE0202O 

FE02030 

7045IP) 

7045EVK.I 

7106CFI. 

710GEV/KH 

7I07EV/KH 
711GCPI. 
720HUS 
72051F--G 

7206CJPf. 

7200CCV/K.I 

7207AIPD 

7207AEV'Kil 

721HPL 

7211MIIU. 

72151PG 

7215EV/KH 

7210AUI 

7216DIP1 

7217IJI 

7217A1PI 

7224IPI 

7226AEVKM 



Ull D:.|! VII ifv.iru.itirai Kill 

;i! A D i LCD (I'uri 

ml E(.:,ird. Il,s;ii.iyifv.iiu.il ri. 



Stopwatt Chip. XIL lEiwliKllnin K.11 
fens t5eneraK>i 

- '. ' ■: VII j ,.,„., i,-,-, Kli 



ilLEO Up.Do-ATi Countt 



IC95 
1349 
3149 
21-19 
1095 



30009 1985 Intersil Data Book u 



$9.95 



74HC HIGH SPEED CMOS 



74HC02 
74HC03 
74HC04 
74HCU04 
74HC08 
74HC10 
74HC11 
74HC14 
7-1I1C20 

74HC30 

74HC42 
7.1HC51 
741IC56 
74HC73 
74HC74 
74HC75 
74HC76 
74HC85 
741C85 
74HC107 
74HC109 
74HC112 
74HC123 
74HC125 
74HC132 
74HC13. 
74HC138 



74HCM7 
74HC151 
74HCI53 
74HC154 
7JHC157 
74HC158 
74HC160 
74HC161 
7-1HCIG2 
741ICH)3 

74IICIG5 
74HC106 

71HC190 
7JHC191 
74HC192 
74HC193 
741IC194 
74HC195 
74HC221 
741C237 
74HC240 
74HC241 
74HC242 
74IIC243 
74HC244 



74CO0 

7-:Cii: 
74C04 
/■iCiiri 
7-ICin 
74C14 
74C2D 

74C32 
74C42 
74C48 

/.:t:/:i 
74C74 
74C85 

7-iCtiN 
/■:Dv< 

74C93 

74C95 
74CI07 



M i iajiV. i .u 



74CI51 

;.!i;:'i.: 

7.-ICI5/ 

/-trui:.- 
,mi:i. ; i 
MCI62 

7-in. ■ 

;.:c!i.5 
,M[:i,m 
MCI /-i 
74C17S 

/.ICl'l.' 
/■tCI'i.l 
/-ICl'i'i 

,'■!(::>:- 1 

74C240 

7-:c, ! -;-t 



74HC251 
74HC253 
74HC257 
74HC259 
74HC2G5 
74HC273 
7JHC280 
74HC299 
7-1HC35D 
74HC367 
74HC373 
74HC37-1 
74HC390 

! 
74HC533 
74HC534 
74HC595 
74HCG88 
74HC4024 
74IIC4040 
741IC4049 
74HC4050 
74HC4060 
74HC4075 
74HC4078 

74HC4514 
74HC4538 
74HC4543 



74C373 

7-:c.ir-; 
74C90) 
74C902 I 
74CJLI3 ', 
74C906 

-■ ■;:■-.- ' 
7JC!)i ; 
;x-v 
74{';'.'i5 
74C917 

7.-:t;..j.- ■ 
?,:c;i, ; - 
7-iC!i;':; 
/■'.'.:<.):". 
7-1C5; 1 -. 

-iCr- 
80C97 



DS002GCN 

ILDfr-ICN 

TL07ICP 

IL072CP 

TL074CN 

IL081CP 

TL082CP 

1L084CN 

LPj1109K 

LM301CN 

LM3021I 

LM304H 

LM305H 

L1.1307CN 

LM30BCN 

LM309K 

LM310CN 

LM311CN 

LM312H 

LM317T 

LM318CN 

LM3191J 

LM320K-5 

LM320K-12 

LM320K15 

LM320K-24 

LM3201-5 

LM3201-15 

LM320I-2.1 

U.1322N 

Lf.r1323K 

LM324N 

LM329D2 

LM331M 

l^43342 

LM335Z 

LM336Z 

LM337MP 

LM3371 

LM338K 

LM339N 

LM340K5 

LM340K 12 

LM340K15 

LM340T-5 
LM340M2 

LMJ.i.JM', 

lm:mij!:m 
LF347N 

IM?MH 



LM350K 

LF351H 8 

LF353N 8 

LF355N 8 

LF356N 8 

IM358N 8 

LM359N 14 

LM360N 8 

LM361N 14 

LM370N 14 

LM373N 14 

LM377N 14 

LM380CH a 

LT/380N 14 

LM381N 14 

LM382N 14 

LM384tJ 14 

LM380H-3 6 

LM387N 8 

LM3B9N 18 

LM391N-80 16 

LM392IJ a 

LM393N 8 

LF398N 8 
LM399H 

LF412CN 8 

TL49-4CN IB 

IL49GCP 8 

U497ACN 14 

NE531V 8 
W540H(C540H) 

HE544H 14 

NE555V 8 

XR-L555 8 

LM556N 14 

KE558N 16 

NE5G4N 16 

LM5G5N 14 

LM566CN 6 

Lf.15G7V 8 

NE570N 16 

NE57IN 16 

NE592U 14 

LM710N 14 

LM7IIN 14 

LM723N 14 

LM733N 14 

LM739N 14 

LM741CN B 

LM747N 14 



LM748N S 5! 

UA760HC 12! 

LM145GV 8 19! 

LMI458CN B 4i 

LPjI1488N 14 6! 

LMI489N 14 G! 

LM1496N 14 9! 

1A11605CK 99! 

LM187IN 18 19! 

LM1872N 18 2.4( 

U.11877N-9 14 24! 

LM1689fJ 18 1 5! 

LMIB96N 14 15! 

LM2002I 1.9 

UIN2003A 16 .9' 

XR2206 16 39! 

XR2207 14 24! 

XR220H 16 1.7! 

XR2211 14 29! 

LM2877P 1,91 

LM2878P 2.1! 

LM2901U 14 S 

LM2902N 14 5! 

LM2807H 14 1.9! 

LM2917N 8 15! 

LM2935T 1.4! 

LM3900N 14 .5' 

LM3905CN 8 1 V 

LM3909N 8 8! 

LM39UN 8 1 I 1 

LM3914N 18 1 9! 

LM3915N 18 1 9 

LM3916H 18 19: 

RC413SN 14 8 

PC4151N!? B 9' 

RC4193NB 8 29! 

LIW250CN 8 1.1! 

KE5532 8 9! 

NE5534 8 85 

78L05A 3i 

78I.12A 35 

79L05A 59 

79MG5AH 6« 

ICL8038 14 39! 

LMI3080N 8 1 1! 

LM13600N 16 1 1! 

75477 B II! 

76002 14 1 2! 

76477 28 39! 



30003 1982 Nat. Linear Data Book 11952 pg 



.$14.95 



Inquiry I 79 



JANUARY 1986 



JYTE 261 



MORE EXHIBITS. MORE 

SESSIONS. MORE PRACTICAL 

INFORMATION FOR ALL 

APPLICATIONS. 

COMPUTER 
GRAPHICS '86. 



You'll discover new 
ideas... new 
techniques. ..and new 
products and services at 
Computer Graphics '86, 
the world's largest 
computer graphics con- 
ference and exposition, 
May 11-15, Anaheim. 
You can begin with 
the basics. Or build on 
your already substantial 
experience. 




More than 135 
technical and tutorial 
sessions provide inten- 
sive, up-to-the-minute 
information on every 
aspect of computer 
graphics from AEC and 



CAD/CAM /CAE to 
business graphics and 
visual communication. 
The 300,000 square 
foot exposition pre- 
sents computer graphics 
for micros, minis and 
mainframes. . . software 
packages... peripherals, 



and related services 
from more than 200 of 
the most progressive 




EVANS AND SUTHERLAND 



ACT NOW TO ASSURE YOUR 
CHOICE OF SESSIONS. 



1 want more 
information! 

Rush registration materials on 
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Department AJ, Suite 200 
2722 Merrilee Drive 
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companies in the 
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Attend Computer 
Graphics '86— and see 
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coming to! 

Computer Graphics '86. 

May 11-15, 1986, 

Anaheim. 

You'll see it there. 



262 BYTE' JANUARY I986 



ROBOTICS 



AUTOMATION 

IN ORGANIC 

SYNTHESIS 

by Gary W. Kramer and Philip L. Fuchs 



In search of the electronic chemist 



THIS ARTICLE WILL cover aspects of 
how we are automating the research 
process for organic chemical syn- 
thesis. We use a robot arm to handle 
the mechanical aspects of the task 
(such as preparing samples) and a 
number of independent, microproces- 
sor-based substations for support ac- 
tivities (such as cleaning the sample 
tubes and controlling the analysis 
equipment). We'll explain in detail 
how we are interfacing support equip- 
ment to one of the substations. 

In the day-to-day life of the scientist 
there are occasional periods of great 
excitement, but more often the prac- 
tice of experimental science is routine. 
Many times procedures are repeated 
with only small variations to deter- 
mine the effect of variables or to 
gather enough data for sound statis- 
tical analyses. Organic chemistry is no 
exception. 

Production of a target molecule, 
whether a drug, a natural product, or 
an industrial chemical, often requires 
carrying out a sequence of steps 
where the product from the current 
reaction becomes the starting 
material for the next step. Like all 



serial processes, synthesis schemes 
are adversely affected by weak links. 
Considerable effort is expended to 
improve the low-yielding steps of the 
process. 

In the commercial production of 
chemicals, it is desirable to know the 
precise effects of variables on reac- 
tion rate and yield. This knowledge is 
important in compensating for unfore- 
seen events that can affect produc- 
tion, safety, and economics. When the 
number of variables is large, the 
number of experiments needed to 
find the best set of conditions or to 
map out a reaction profile can be 
astronomical. 

Automation is an answer to this 
problem. In other branches of 
chemistry, most notably clinical 
chemistry, automation of routine pro- 
cesses is common. In organic chem- 
istry, where experimental procedures 
are more diverse, automation is not 
widespread. If automation is to come 
to the organic laboratory it must be 
flexible enough to allow facile exper- 
imental reconfigurations. 

The introduction of the Zymate 
Laboratory Robot in 1981 by the 



Zymark Corporation (see the "Prod- 
ucts Mentioned" text box on page 
268) greatly enhanced the practicali- 
ty of automating organic synthesis. 
The Zymark robot consists of a non- 
mobile, nonarticulated arm that can 
rotate about its base, can be raised or 
lowered, and can move in and out to 
gain access to a cylindrical work area 
about 14 inches high and 54 inches 
in diameter. At the end of the arm is 
a wrist that can rotate 360 degrees. 
A unique feature of this robotic arm 
is its set of hands. Several different 
hand types (gripper, syringe, etc.) are 
available, and the robot can be pro- 
grammed to change hands for dif- 
ferent applications. A self-contained 
system controller and a variety of 
automated laboratory appliances 
(centrifuge, balance, shaker, vortexer. 

[continued) 
Gary W. Kramer holds a Ph.D. from Purdue 
University and is an instrumentation specialist 
with Purdues Department of Chemistry. 
Philip L. Fuchs is a professor of chemistry at 
Purdue: he has a Ph.D. from the University 
of Wisconsin. They can both be reached ai 
the Department of Chemistry, Purdue Univer- 
sity. West Lafayette. IN 47901. 



JANUARY 1986 'BYTE 263 



Inquiry 295 

IBM PC Add-Ons 

Shop and Compare! 

QIC-286-AT 

8MH Z/ 640K, 1.2MB 

Controller & Keyboard $ 1 895 

10, 20 33MB Hard Disk Subsystems 

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External 10MB $ 579 

External 20MB $ 629 

33MB + Controller ..... $ 72 5 

1 0, 20, 60MB Back-up Subsystems 

1 0MB Floppy Tape 

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20MB Cassette Back- 

up with Controller ... $ o95 
60MB Streaming Tape 

Back-up $ 815 

Expansion Chassis ^^___ 

With 5 I/O slots and 
space for 4 half- 
height drives 
or tapes $ o45 

Hayes <& Compatible Modems 

300/1200 baud 
internal 1 99 

Vi size card 215 

external 299 

(comes with software which 
emulates IBM 3101 and VT 100) 

Floppy Drives 

360K for PC XT $ 99 

360K for AT $ 1 1 9 

Multifunction Card 

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Serial parallel port, 
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calendar $ 1 09 

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Everex Graphics Edge $ 265 

Call us today! 

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Telex: 5101002379 OICRCH 
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489 Valley Way 
qic 503 Milpitas. CA 95035 



ORGANIC SYNTHESIS 



syringe pumps, etc.) complete a 
typical laboratory system. 

The First-Generation System 

Although the Zymark system was 
created to do chemistry, it was de- 
signed with the sample preparation 
phase of analytical chemistry in mind. 
Accordingly, it was given the capabil- 
ities of weighing, mixing, diluting, 
pipetting, and extracting: tasks neces- 
sary to get a raw sample ready for 
final analyses by other instruments. 
Initially we built our system around 
the robot, using it to do everything. 
However, as the system's capability 
has expanded, our philosophy has 
evolved to using the robot only to 
handle situations that would other- 
wise be difficult to automate. 

The creation of new instrumentation 
often goes through several stages. 
First, a demonstration system is 
created, which performs some subset 
of the overall task. Its purpose is to 
answer key feasibility questions, high- 
light troublesome areas, and attract 
resources to the project. Our first- 
generation scheme consisted of a 



Zymark system, locally built auto- 
mated room temperature reactors, 
and a semiautomated liquid chro- 
matograph as the analyzer (see photo 
1). The system was managed solely by 
the Zymark controller. The first 
chemical reaction tested was chosen 
not only because it fit the system 
capabilities but also because it was a 
step in a synthesis in need of yield im- 
provement. The system was run open- 
loop; that is, the results from the reac- 
tions were printed out for later inter- 
pretation by the operator. This system 
ran 16 reactions and 240 analyses 
over a 50-hour period, producing a 
significant improvement in the yield 
of the desired material (see the arti- 
cle "Robotic Orchestration of Organic 
Reactions" by A. R. Frisbee, M. H. 
Nantz, G. W. Kramer, and P. L. Fuchs 
in the journal of the American Chemical 
Society, volume 106. page 7143. 1984). 

toward the second 
Generation 

Change is inevitable in creating open- 
ended systems such as ours, as to- 

[continued] 




Photo I: The Purdue Automated Synthesis System, phase I. The robot arm stands in 
the center of the laboratory setup. Arranged around the arm, starting from bottom left 
of the photo and continuing clockwise are: HP3390A reporting integrator, reagent 
station, reactor station, aliquot archive station, workup station, syringe and needle wash 
station, and sample turntable. \n front of the reagent station are three hand parking 
stations. 



264 BYTE • JANUARY 1986 



How will you manage the growth 
of PC technology in your organization? 



Millions of Workers with Personal Computers 



25 



20 



15 



10 




I I I I 
I I I I I I 



1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 

Copyright © 1985 by Future Computing Incorporated, Dallas, Texas 

Announcing Future Directions: 

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Inquiry 140 



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The personal computer 
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Future Computing has set the 
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FUTIRE 

COMPUTING 

INCORPORATED 



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8111 LBJ Freeway 

Dallas, Texas 75251 



Company. 
Address _ 



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Phone ( ) 

*Price subject to change without notice. 



JANUARY 1986 • BYTE 265 



ORGANIC SYNTHESIS 



day's wants become tomorrow's 
needs. Accommodating this change is 
a major design challenge. Flexibility, 
modularity and portability in both 
software and hardware are essential. 
The control-system architecture 
(figure I) reflects these design criteria 
and allows orderly growth. The ex- 
ecutive processor contains the user 
interface, application program, and 
the main control routines. It interacts 
with the rest of the system through 
8-bit managerial processors. These 
managers are the key to the control 
system. They serve as buffers, trans- 
lators, controllers, and isolators. Inter- 
processor communication is carried 
out in a block protocol over serial 
data lines. This architecture allows 
true concurrency while freeing the 



system from timing constraints. Its 
modularity permits replacement of 
system components with a minimum 
of problems. Isolation of the executive 
from the real-time, bit-flipping en- 
vironment of the managers allows the 
application software to be written in 
a portable high-level language. 

The analysis manager provides a 
good example of the managerial func- 
tion. Most modern chemical analysis 
equipment is smart; that is, its inter- 
nal control systems are processor- 
driven. Many of these instruments 
allow downloading of analytical 
methods, automatic sample injection, 
postprocessing of raw data into mean- 
ingful information, and transmission 
of results. In our work, a sample is 
loaded into the instrument's auto- 



injector by the robot, a command file 
detailing the processing is down- 
loaded, and, following the analysis, 
the instrument returns the results. 

Unfortunately, there is little stan- 
dardization in the world of analytical 
instruments. Even within a given com- 
pany's product line, the command to 
inject a sample on a high-pressure liq- 
uid chromatograph (HPLC) is not likely 
to be the same as that used on a gas 
chromatograph (GC). However, the 
managerial computer will know these 
details, so they can remain hidden 
from both the user and the applica- 
tion-level software. 

Actual analytical parameters are 
specified by the user during system 
initialization and are stored as 

(continued) 



HPLC 
SYSTEM 



ANALYSIS 
MANAGER 



OTHER 

MANAGERIAL 

PROCESSORS 



ROBOT 
MANAGER 



SYRINGE- 
CLEANER 
CONTROLLER 



GC 
SYSTEM 



VALVE -CONTROL 
SYSTEM 



LIQUID-SENSOR 
SYSTEM 



LIQUID- 
HANDLING 
MANAGER 



EXECUTIVE 
PROCESSOR 



ADVISORY | 

PROCESSOR I 



ROBOT 
SUBSYSTEM 




REACTOR - 
CONTROL #1 



REACTOR - 
CONTROL #2 



REACTOR #1 



REACTOR- 
CONTROL #8 



REACTOR #2 



REACTOR #8 



Figure I: Control-system architecture. 



266 BYTE • JANUARY 1986 



AW . . 






-'-'■'".•:*. 






WHAT THE HECK! 



ProDesign II 

The Easy to Use CAD System! 



ProDesign II is one of the most advanced CAD packages available 
•for microcomputers. We think it's absolutely the easiest to use. 
With competitive CAD systems priced at $1500 to $2 500, we were 
posed with the problem of setting our price. 
ProDesign II works a wide vaTiety of digitizers and mouse 
devices. It works with neaTly any plotter or printer available for 
the IBM PC. ProDesign II can produce plotter quality drawings 
on ordinary dot matrix printers - a feature found exclusively on 
ProDesign IL ProDesign II utilizes a virtual screen 4 times the 
size of the physical screen to make it practical to produce draw- 
ings on a normal resolution IBM monitor. ProDesign II is tiuly 
an outstanding GAD package for the IBM PC and compatibles. 
The question we had to answer was: Even though we had abetter 
product, should we price it higher than the other GAD systems 
on the market? 

We did market studies and calculations. We consulted with 
experts. We drew charts and graphs. We used the finest spread- 
sheet programs money could buy. When it came right down to it, 
we still didn't know what to sell ProDesign II for. $2995? $2495? 
$ 1995? We even considered $995. 

Then, in the great American tradition, we said, "AW. . .WHAT 
THE HECK' Let's see the other guys beat this price!" ProDesign 
II costs $299. At that price, you can't go wrong! 

AW . . .WHAT THE HECK! 



$299.95 




THE SPACE SHUTTLE DISCOVERY 



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this drawing has printed on an 

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RES0LU1 ION IS . B65" - 
MORE THAN 4 MILLION DOTS' 
BETTER IHj 




Why should you get ProDesign II? Four simple reasons: 

1. ProDesign II is easy to use. You won't have to spend 
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2. ProDesign II works with the hardware YOU own. 
ProDesign II supports most printers and plotters 
available for the IBM PC, as well as a wide variety 
of digitizers and mouse devices. 

3. ProDesign II can produce plotter quality output 
on ordinary dot matrix printers. (The Bl Bomber 
above was printed on an Epson RX-80.) 

4. ProDesign II is priced 70% to 80% below competitive 
products! 

What do you need to run ProDesign II? An IBM PC or compatible 
with 512K RAM and graphics capability. 
How do you get ProDesign II? See your local computer dealer 
or contact us. 

ProDesign II - The Easy to Use GAD System! 

Inquiry 18 



Back, 

by popular 

demand. 

Just a few years ago, illegal hunting 
and encroaching civilization had all but 
destroyed the alligator population in the 
south. They were added to the official 
list of endangered species in the United 
States. 

Mow alligators have made a 
comeback. 



,-r 



Conservationists 
intent on preserving this 
legendary reptile helped the 
alligator get back on its feet. 
Once again some southern 
swamps and marshes are 
teeming with alligators. 

With wise 
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species have also made 
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cougar, gray whale, 
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duck, to name a few. 

If you want to help 
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i 




ORGANIC SYNTHESIS 



methods files that are downloaded to 
the analytical manager at run time. 
During a run the executive can issue 
a task to the manager, such as "Take 
sample number three and run an 
HPLC analysis using method number 
two." Upon receiving this command, 
the manager checks to see if the task 
can be done (analytical instrument 
ready and sample three exists) and 
then returns a completion time 
estimate to the executive, which sets 
up a watchdog timer. The manager 
carries out this task by delivering the 
necessary directives to the analytical 
instrument. 

When the results of the analysis are 
available and formatted for transmis- 
sion to the managerial computer, it in- 
terrupts the executive. Uploading the 
results to the executive completes the 
task. If the executive watchdog times 
out, the executive will issue a status 
request to the manager and will ini- 
tiate appropriate action based upon 
the returned status. Fault conditions 
in the analytical instruments are 
reported to the manager, which either 



corrects the problem or passes it up 
to the executive. In this way. a 
disparate collection of analyzers can 
be made to look relatively uniform to 
the application software. 

Figure I shows an advisory pro- 
cessor in a dotted box to the right of 
the executive processor. In the future, 
we will probably use an expert system 
and other artificial intelligence (AI) 
methods to enhance the capabilities 
of our system. Since this technology 
usually requires special hardware and 
software environments, a separate 
computer seems appropriate. 

Initially, the AI machine will function 
as a consultant to the executive, but 
in time the user interface and applica- 
tion programming functions may 
migrate to this processor. 

Choosing the Components 

Requirements for flexibility, modulari- 
ty, and expansibility point to a multi- 
card, bus-oriented system. Our choice 
of the IEEE-696 (S-100) bus over 
Multibus or STD-bus systems was 

[continued) 



Products Mentioned 


Laboratory Robot 


Optical Liquid Detector 


Zymark Corporation 


Ivek Corporation 


Zymark Center 


43 School St. 


Hopkinton. MA 01748 


North Springfield, VT 05150 


(617) 435-9501 






SI 9 Sight Glass Scanner 


Chemically Inert Metering Pumps 


Skan-A-Matic Corporation 


Fluid Metering Inc. 


Route 5W 


29 Orchard St. 


El bridge, NY 13060 


Oyster Bay, NY 11771 


(315) 689-3961 


(516) 922-6050 






Bantam-meter Optical Sensor 


LQD Liqua Sense Liquid Level 


Kontes Scientific Glassware 


Sensor 


Spruce St. 


Hi-G Company Inc. 


Vineland, Nj 08360 


Electronics Division 


(609) 692-8500 


580 Spring St. 




Windsor Locks, CT 06096 


Series 1, 2, and 18 Miniature Teflon 


(203) 623-2481 


Solenoid Valves 




General Valve Corporation 


Liquid Level Quartz Sensor 


202 Fairfield Rd. 


NSG Precision Cells Inc. 


Fairfield, NJ 07006 


560 South Broadway 


(201) 575-4844 


Hicksville. NY 11801 




(516) 938-7772 





268 BYTE • JANUARY 1986 




TAS 



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the "Hard-nosed" Relational 

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the Database + Integrated Accounting 









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But why stop with just a database? Forjust $349, you 
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Source code is included FREEI So you can even modify the 
accounting to fit your business. 





TAS™ 


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Yes 


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Yes 


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And TAS is no new comer. TAS was 
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TAS comes with a 30 day money back 
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Call Today 1-800-648-6258 

Ask for operator 11 

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Inquiry 44 




The following are registered trademarks ol these com- 
panies. TAS, Accounting Solution. Business Tools Inc; 
RBase 5000, Microrim Inc; DBase III, AshtonTate Inc; CP/M 
and MP/M, Digital Research Inc; IBM PC/XT/AT, Inter- 
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Computer Corp; AT&T 6300, AT&T Information Systems Inc; 
Tandy 1000. 1200, 2000. Tandy Corp; MS-DOS, Microsoft 
Corp; The Sensible Solulion trademark rights are claimed 
by 0'Hanlon Computer Systems Inc. , 

©Copyright 1985 Business Tools lnc.\ 






















How to go 

from 

UNIX to DOS 

without 

compromising 

your 

standards. 



It's easy. Just get an industry standard file access 
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C-ISAM™ from RDS. 

It's been the UNIX™ standard for years (used in 
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Because of the way it works. Its B+ Tree index- 
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How can we be so sure C-ISAM works so well? 

We use it ourselves. It's a part of INFORMIX ; 
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For an information packet, call (415) 322-4100. 
Or write RDS, 4100 Bohannon Drive, Menlo Park, 
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You'll see why anything less than C-ISAM is just 
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RELATIONAL DATABASE SYSTEMS, INC 

© 1985, Relational Database Systems. Inc. UNIX is a trademark of AT&T. INFORMIX is a registered 
trademark and RDS, C-ISAM and File-It! are trademarks of Relational Database Systems, Inc. 



ORGANIC SYNTHESIS 



finally made on the basis of cost per 
board function and the authors' 
familiarity with S-100 systems. With 
the bus architecture decided, the 
choice of a CompuPro 8/16 was easy. 
At present, CP/M is the base-level 
operating system. However, only the 
terminals, printer, and disks are CP/M 
system devices. The special interrupt- 
driven, multitasking control software 
is implemented as a transient pro- 
gram. This run-time package takes 
control of the executive processor, 
relying on CP/M only for terminal and 
disk I/O (input/output) handling. 

If the choice of the executive pro- 
cessor was easy, the converse was 
true of the managers. Many of the ex- 
ecutives' requirements also apply to 
the managers. But the managers only 
need to be 8-bit ROM (read-only 
memory)-based machines; disks and 
operating systems are unnecessary. 
The choice came down to either an 
STD-bus approach or an in-house de- 
signed system. Over the years we 
have built up an extensive 8-bit sys- 
tem that has been used in several 
data acquisition and control projects. 
To aid in the development and main- 
tenance of this system, we also 
created a variety of hardware and 
software tools. We have little ex- 
perience with the STD bus; however, 
it is desirable to use commercially 
available equipment whenever pos- 
sible. Ultimately, we chose the in- 
house design for our first synthesis 
system, feeling that we could get go- 
ing quicker with it. 

Each managerial computer contains 
the same set of core boards; an 8085 
8-bit microprocessor with 19 interrupt 
channels, a status and start-up card 
containing bootstrap PROM (pro- 
grammable read-only memory) used 
during initialization, a real-time clock 
card containing a day/date clock 
(MM58167) and six 16-bit timers (two 
82 53s), a triple serial interface card 
(three 2651s), and a 64K-byte PROM/ 
RAM (random-access read/write 
memory) card. Other cards, such as 
buffered parallel interfaces, additional 
clock cards, analog-to-digital con- 
verter cards, digital-to-analog con- 

[continued) 



270 BYTE • JANUARY 1986 



Inquiry 307 





Someone new has just entered 
the world of programming. 



Now, everyone can program their com- 
puter. Because now, there's ALICE 1 to show 
you the way. 

ALICE; The Personal Pascal... the first 
complete programming environment that 
lets you create your own sophisticated 
Pascal programs, while teaching you how. 

Much More Than a Pascal Compiler 

ALJCE knows the syntax and the rules of 
Pascal . . . changing programming from 
what was once a slow, complex task to 
simply a matter of selecting the appro- 
priate templates, and merely filling in the 
blanks. You can't make a frustrating syntax 
error. ALICE won't let you. 

The Programming System With a 
Difference 

ALICE has a unique Pascal interpreter that 
lets you run - and debug - your programs 
directly. You can actually see your program 
executing. And the programs that you 
develop with ALICE can be used with your 



Pascal compiler. 

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All the information you'll ever need from 
ALICE. A tutorial, features of Pascal, and 
the meaning of error messages is now at 
hand ... in over 500 screens of on-line HELP. 

Let ALICE be the Teacher 

ALICE is currently being used in hundreds 
of schools to teach Pascal programming. 
Why Pascal? Because it has emerged as 
the language of choice of colleges and 
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choice of the SAT examinations. 

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• windows, menus, and function keys . . . 
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To order by credit card, call 1-800- 448-3400 
ext. ALICE (in Canada 1-800-387-9018). 
Specify software or demonstration disk- 
ette. Or, fill in the order form and send to: 



Inquiry 329 



SOFTWARE^ % 

CHANNELS 

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ALICE 



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will not be accepted. Texas residents add 4V&% sales tax. Ontario residents add 7% sales tax. 

For IBM PC, XT, AT and compatibles. Dealer and distributor inquiries welcome. Site licences available. 



ORGANIC SYNTHESIS 



A 



-UPPER 
NEEDLE 

GUIDE 




-TO 

WASTE 



Figure 2: Self -cleaning syringe washer. 



verter cards, and stepper-motor driver 
cards, are added as required by the 
specific application. The 44-pin bus is 
terminated actively on the backplane 
board. The front panel has LED (light- 
emitting diode) indicators for the 
system states (used during debug- 
ging), a reset button (warm start to 
location 0000H), and a restart button 
(cold start back to bootstrap PROM). 
A connector on the rear of the front 
panel allows a box with hexadecimal 
data/address displays, halt/run switch, 
and single-step switch to be attached 
for use during debugging. If needed, 
our DMA (direct memory access) 
card, disk-controller card, and disks 
can be added to create a CP/M-com- 
patible development system. 

Each managerial processor has at 
least one 8K-byte PROM, located at 
address E000H, which contains the 
system monitor, debugging routines 
similar to the CP/M DLTT (dynamic 



debugging tool) functions, block- 
mode communication driver, and in- 
terrupt handlers. When the overall 
system is complete, there will be 
several managerial processors run- 
ning simultaneously. It is impractical 
to provide a terminal for each com- 
puter, and the front-panel displays are 
quite limited. To debug and maintain 
the system, a spy feature is imple- 
mented in each manager. Periodical- 
ly, the manager transmits a message 
from one of its serial channels de- 
scribing its current activity and status. 
We connect the spy lines from each 
manager to a manual multiplexer 
switch connected to a single terminal. 
The system operator selects which 
manager is monitored. If this manual 
method proves too limited, the multi- 
plexer and terminal can be replaced 
with a disk-based system that can log 
the activity of all the managers onto 
disk for postmortem analyses. 



CONTROLLER 




WASTE 
CONTAINER 



Figure 3: Syringe-cleaner subsystem. 



272 BYTE • JANUARY 1986 



ORGANIC SYNTHESIS 



Much software used by the mana- 
gers will be PROM-based; only vari- 
ables and special routines are down- 
loaded after each master system reset. 

One Subsystem in Detail 

Rather than give a condensed view of 
our entire system, it may be more il- 
luminating to describe in some detail 
one subsystem, currently being built, 
that illustrates several techniques. 
First, a brief description of the robot's 
syringe hand is in order. The hand 
consists of a glass syringe whose 
plunger is driven by a small DC motor 
through rack-and-pinion gearing. A 
potentiometer, mechanically coupled 
to the drive assembly provides posi- 
tion feedback. Normally a syringe 
hand must be cleaned after each use. 
Figure 2 shows our self-cleaning 
syringe washer. The cleaning process 
involves inserting the syringe needle 
into the lower needle guide, drawing 



solvents into the syringe barrel one at 
a time, and then expelling them to 
waste, followed by pumping nitrogen 
in and out to dry the syringe. Suffi- 
cient solvent pressure is developed in 
the lower needle guide to provide ef- 
ficient washing of both the syringe in- 
terior and the needle exterior. This 
process uses valuable robot time, 
since the hand must be attached to 
the arm for cleaning. Several other 
hands are available, so the robot 
could be doing useful work if a 
syringe could be cleaned while its 
hand is parked. 

Figure 3 shows a system that 
alleviates the cleaning problem by 
allowing up to four syringe hands to 
be cleaned while parked. A syringe 
washer is placed below each parking 
station, and each hand is equipped 
with an auxiliary set of contacts that 
engage when the hand is parked. 
Parking a hand in its station initiates 



The robot could be doing 
useful work if a syringe 
could be cleaned while 
its hand is parked. 



its cleaning cycle. The controller hard- 
ware for this subsystem is identical to 
that in the managerial processors 
previously described. In figure I, this 
controller is shown reporting to the 
robot manager. However, it may end 
up serving the liquid-handling 
manager or even becoming a full 
manager itself. 

The solvents are stored in large con- 
tainers and directed to the cleaning 
stations by metering pumps driven by 
permanent magnet stepper motors. 

[continued) 



3J\45|^N^6 




Sn^ 



my 



74107 
CLK 



R1A 

470ft 



RIB 
4 70ft 



tDE> 



ZE> 




74107 
CLK 



R2B 
4 70ft 



R2A 
470ft 
5V 



>R3A 

1 i?oli 



R3B 
4 70ft 



R4B 
470ft 






Dl THRU D4 
1N4002 {TYP)' 




a 03 

n J 2N6037 




Q4 
2N6037 




■ CI 

1 InF 



•C2 

'InF 



.C3 
"InF 



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l lnF 



02 | 



04 | 



03| 




24 V 

POWER 

SUPPLY 



I 



Vret , 
CZD- 



Figure 4: Stepper-rnotor drive circuit. 



JANUARY 1986 



1YTE 273 



ORGANIC SYNTHESIS 



Solvent levels are 
monitored with sensors 
that make use of the 
reflectance of light passing 
through a glass rod. 



Figure 4 shows the circuitry required 
for driving these four-phase motors. 
The direction line is left high, and the 



step line is driven from the buffered 
output of an 82 53 or 82 54 counter- 
timer controller (CTC). Our metering 
pumps (manufacured by Fluid Meter- 
ing Inc.) deliver a fixed amount of liq- 
uid for each rotation of the motor. Sol- 
vent can be delivered at a program- 
mable rate by using the CTC in the 
rate-generator mode. If a fixed 
amount of solvent is to be delivered, 
the rate-generator CTC can be gated 
with the complemented output from 
a second CTC channel that is used in 
the interrupt on terminal-count mode. 
Figure 5 shows one of the CTC circuits 
on our real-time clock card. Easy 



selection of true or complemented 
signals improves the flexibility of this 
card. 

System reliability is improved by 
several sensors mounted near the 
pump. Solvent levels in the reservoirs 
are monitored using sensors that 
make use of the internal reflectance 
of light passing through a glass or 
quartz rod whose tip is cut to a 
90-degree taper. According to Snell's 
law, when the tip is surrounded by a 
low-refractive-index medium such as 
air, light passing through the rod will 
be totally reflected. When the refrac- 

[continued) 



2MHz O- 



RESET O- 



AO O- 
Al O- 

cs C>~ 



DO C>~ 



Dl O- 



02 O" 



03 O- 



D4 O- 



D5 [Z>- 



D6 O- 



D7 O- 
RD C^ 



WR C>- 



4.7K 
[—A/W — 



7474 
+ 2 
D Q 

CLR 



13 



MC14553 
+ 1000 



DIS LE MR 



TEI 



p+ 



MC14553 
+ 1000 



DIS LE MR 



T 




tsv 

t 

2.2K + 5 



21 



20 



19 



CS Al A0 

8253 OR 8254 
CTC 



DO 
Dl 
02 
D3 
D4 
D5 
D6 
D7 
RD 
WR 



CLK0 

CLK1 

CLK2 

GATE0 

GATE1 

GATE 2 



fi^j*^ 



^j Hjjj - 8 *^ 



CK2 
|— # CK2 

GT0 



^^h"^ 



^jjr^ry 2 ^ 



7n_|^^«l 



4 jr 1 <l t r u <l 



6 x 330/ 

680 

PU/PD 



X 



_ 4 00 




I 

I 
I 
I 

-<Z3 

i 

i 

I 
-O 

I 

I 
HZ> 

I 
l 
-O 



Figure 5: Real-time clock (CTC) circuit. 



274 BYTE • JANUARY 1986 



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Inquiry 130 



JANUARY I986 -BYTE 275 



ORGANIC SYNTHESIS 



tive index of the surrounding medium 
is higher, such as with a liquid, a por- 
tion of the light passes from the rod 
into the liquid (figure 6). If a photo- 
detector is placed at the flat end of 
the rod, its output will decrease when 
the conical tip of the rod is immersed 
in a liquid. A simple comparator cir- 




Figure 6: Reflective liquid-level sensor. 



cuit (figure 7) converts this change 
into a computer-readable signal. A 
version of this sensor, the LQD Liqua 
Sense Liquid Level Sensor, is com- 
mercially available. The simple design 
shown here must be shielded from ex- 
ternal light; however, a more sophis- 
ticated synchronous detection 
scheme (such as the Liquid Level 
Quartz Sensor from NSG Precision 
Cells) can virtually eliminate this prob- 
lem. 

To ensure that the pump retains its 
prime, a flow-through sensor is 
mounted on the pump output to 
detect the presence of the liquid in 
the Teflon tubing leading to the 
distribution valve. This device uses an 
LED and a phototransistor on op- 
posite sides of the translucent Teflon 
tubing to detect the presence of a liq- 
uid. Again, a comparator circuit 
(figure 7) provides a TTL (transistor- 
transistor logic) level signal. To shield 
this sensor from ambient light, the 
LED and phototransistor are mounted 
in an opaque plastic block (figure 8), 
and the entire circuit is housed in a 
small black plastic Pomona Box. We 
know of no commercial versions of 
this sensor that are as small as the 
one described, but models that work 
with larger tubing are readily available 



+ 5V +5V +5V 



. S360.Q, 



TIL32 



+ 5V 



, 2.5K 

h 



TIL78 



J3.9K 




-jiQ> 



m 



^SELECT FOR BEST RESPONSE 



270& 



HLMP 
1300 



75452 



gE> 



O 



X 



-o 



TO 
CPU 



(the Optical Liquid Detector, the SI 9 
Sight Glass Scanner, and the Bantam- 
meter Optical Sensor). 

A small bellows-type pressure sen- 
sor on the outlet of the pump is used 
to detect an overpressure condition 
due to a fully closed distribution valve 
or a clogged tube. The TTL outputs 
from these sensors are brought into 
the controller through a 16-bit buf- 
fered parallel I/O card. Figure 9 shows 
the input section of this circuit. 

The effluent from each pump is 
brought to a four-way distribution 
valve whose exit ports lead to the in- 
dividual washing stations. These 
distribution valves are typical of the 
miniature solenoid valves used in this 
project, which feature small internal 
volume (30 to 60 microliters), high- 
speed operation (8 milliseconds), low 
power drain (12 volts DC. 210 milli- 
amperes), and all Teflon wetted parts 
(Series 1,2. and 18 Miniature Teflon 
Solenoid Valves). Since the current re- 
quired to drive these valves is greater 
than that provided by standard open- 
collector TTL drivers, additional buf- 
fering is provided as shown in figure 
10. The diodes protect the switching 
transistor from the voltage spikes gen- 
erated when the solenoid valve is 

[continued) 



IR LED 






THIN-WALL 
TEFLON TUBING 
1/8 in. OR 1/16 in. 
0D 




Figure 7: Optical fluid detector circuit. 



Figure 8: Liquid-presence detector. 



276 BYTE • JANUARY 1986 



NEW LANGUAGE BREAKS OLD RULES. 
GIVES PROGRAMMERS POWER, SPEED AND SIMPLICITY. 

Try this remarkable language, PROMAL™ for 30 Days AT NO RISK and... 



We think you'll be thrilled with this 
breakthrough system when you discover 
its power, ease of use, and dazzling per- 
formance on your IBM PC, Apple Ile/IIc, 
or Commodore 64. But we don't 
expect you to accept our claims for 
PROMAL without proof, so we invite 
you to explore the power of PROMAL on 
your own during our 30-day trial period. 

Broken Rules 

Now that PROMAL 2.0 has broken 
the rules, a structured language doesn't 
have to be slow, unwieldy and difficult to 
use. PROMAL is fast, elegant, and simple. 

What Is PROMAL? 

PROMAL stands for PROgrammer's 
Micro Application Language. But 
PROMAL is more than a high-level lan- 
guage, it's a total structured program- 
ming development system with a fast, 
one-pass compiler, a versatile full-screen 
editor, plus an integrated machine- 
language subroutine library. And for 
APPLE and Commodore systems it 
includes a DOS-like system "Executive." 

Better By Design 

PROMAL was designed from "scratch" 
for optimum performance and ease of 
use on microcomputers. It has a simpli- 
fied syntax with no awkward terminators 



PROMAL 2.0 FEATURES 



COMPILED LANGUAGE 

• Structured indentation syntax 

• No line numbers or terminators 

• Long variable names (31 characters) 

• Global, Local, & Argument variables 

• Byte, Word, Integer & Real data types 

• Decimal or Hex number types 

• Functions & Procedures with passed arguments 

• Predefined DATA of any type 

• Multi-Dimensional Arrays (any type) 

• Strings & pointers 

• Control Statements: IF, IK-ELSE, WHILE. FOR, 
CHOOSE, REPEAT-UNTIL, BREAK. NEXT. 
INCLUDE. ESCAPE. REFUGE 

• Bit-operators, shifts, typecasts 

• Variables at any memory location 

• Simple Machine Language interface 

• Recursion supported 

• Program chaining and overlays (IMPORT/EXPORT) 

• Separatecompilation of modules 

• Load and run relocatable M/L programs 

• Compile errors trapped for Editor 

EXECUTIVE (APPLE II & C64 Only) 

• Command driven, with line editing 

• Multiple user programs in memory at once 

• Function key definitions 

• Progam abort and pause 

• Prior command recall 

• I/O Re-direction & batch jobs 

• "DOS'-like commands: COPY, RENAME, DELETE, 
display FILES. TYPE, HELP etc. 

• Memory MAP SET, and display commands 

EDITOR 

• Full-screen, cursor driven 

• Function key controlled 

• Line insert, delete, search 

• String search and replace 

• Block copy. move, delete & file read/write operations 

• Auto indent, undent support 

LIBRARY 

• 50 Resident Machine-language commands 

• Call by name with arguments 

• String handling (9 routines) 

■ Re-directablc I/O (STDIN & STDOUT) 

• Formatted numeric output 

• Decimal & Hexadecimal I/O 

• Block fill/move/rcad/write 

• Cursor control & line editing 

• lata type conversion 

• Random number function 

• Real function support (in PROMAL): 

ABS, ATAN, COS, EXP LOG, LOG10, POWER, SIN, 
SORT, TAN 

• Modem device support & much more 



like ";" or "}" and indentation is part 
of the syntax, so structuring your code 
is natural and easy. Just compare 
PROMAL with BASIC in this example: 



Equivalent Program Segments 










REPEAT 

PROMPT AT 5.24. Add Chg Ouit? 
IF Reply A 

ADD Item 

New- Items New. Hems + 1 


CHANGEItem 
UNTIL Reply Q 


11910REM BASIC 

1 1920CL = 5 LN - 24 PRS -"Add Chg Quit?" 
11925GOSUB9490:REMGET REPLY 
11930IFRP$ A" THEN 11950 
1194019 IT:GOSUB10100:REMADD 
11945NUNI t 1;GOTO 11920 
11950 IF RP$< -"C"THEN 11970 
11960 19 = IT;GOSUB 6050:REM CHG 
11970 IF RPSo'O" THEN 11920 









PROMAL is readable and understand- 
able. You see the logic from the structure. 
And PROMAL lets you call procedures 
by name -so no more GOSUBs. But 
there's more. 

Slick Editor 

Editing your source is a snap with the 
specially-designed and integrated full- 
screen Editor-it not only helps you 
structure your program, it even finds 
compilation errors- automatically. 

Quick Compiler 

The compiler is a lightning-fast, 
one-pass, recursive descent design. On 
the IBM PC it crunches source to object 
at 2000 lines per minute, and it's 
equally impressive on the Apple and 
C64. And your PROMAL source code is 
portable from machine to machine. 
That means your source can be used on 
all PROMAL target machines. 

Run-Time Speed Demon 

PROMAL blows away Apple II and 
C64 languages from BASIC and PASCAL 
to FORTH. (Send $3 for a copy of our 
full benchmark report.) It's 2000% 
faster than BASIC. And on a normal 
IBM PC, the native 8088 code from 
PROMAL beat Turbo Pascal 3.0 by 
10% on the standard sieve benchmark! 

DOS For Those Without 

If you don't have a real "DOS," then 
PROMAL gives you a true operating 
system environment with the built-in 
operating system Executive. (See box.) 



Order Form for PROMAL 30-Day Trial! 



□ APPLE IIc/He 



My system is (check one) 

□ IBM PC/100% compatibles 

□ COMMODORE 64/128 

Please RUSH me: 

□ PROMAL Developer's System -Compiler, Editor 
Library, Demo disrL 280-page manual, (Plus Exec 
tive for Apple and C-64) and stand-alone program 
~eneration (no royalties). 

99.95 + 5.00"Shipping & Handling 
nd-User System for Apple llc/lle and Coi 
64/1 28 -all features of Developer's Version except 

for program execution) 



□ 



Library, Demo disrL 280-page manual, (Plus Execu- 

ive for Apple and C-64) and « ' 

[eneration (no royalties). 

'99.95 + 5.00"Shippi„„ 

nd-User System for Apple llc/lle and Commodore 

4/1 28 -all features of Developer's Version except 
stand-alone program generation (Executive needed 
for program execution) 
$49.95 -f 5.00 Shipping* Handling 
□ Graphics ToolBox (Apple/L64 only,)- 20 routines 
for ni-res graphics: windows, clipping, text-on- 

fraphics using scaled, rotated, user-defined fonts. 
29.95 + 2.50 Shipping & Handling 



HMCT ^!Z * 

MinXlTIIK «soci»rioii 



Outside Opinion 

Naturally we're enthusiastic about 
PROMAL, but here's what other pro- 
grammers are saying: 

"Excellent. . . an ideal development 

system Well done indeed!" 

M.T.V. 
Naperville, III. 
"I am . . . so amazed by PROMAL ... I 
cannot believe the high degree of excel- 
lence of this entire package." 

C. R, Ph.D. 
Ridgeway, New York 

"I don't know that I've ever seen a 
[system] as thoughtfully designed and as 
skillfully executed as PROMAL. Its 
logic andeaseof programming are truly 
remarkable. Its speed of execution is 
phenomenal . . . congratulations " 

E.C.R. 

Alexandria, VA 

Safety In Numbers 

SMA, Inc. has been satisfying cus- 
tomers (over 100,000) since 1982 with 
innovative microcomputer products. Now 
you can join our thousands of satisfied 
PROMAL users, by trying it today. 

Try It For 30 Days On Us 

Send us some bucks and we'll send 
you PROMAL on trial for 30 days. If for 
any reason whatsoever you are not 
satisfied, just send it back for a 

quick refund of your purchase price. No 
questions asked. No risk. 

How To Order. 

Call TOLL-FREE to order with your 
credit card or use the handy order form 
below to send in your check or money- 
order for your 30-day trial. Don't wait, 
you deserve the power of PROMAL today! 

1-800-762-7874 

In NC: 919-878-3600 

Systems Management Associates, Inc. 
3325 Executive Drive, Dept. PB-6 
Raleigh, North Carolina 27609 



mwrnnm 



PROMAL runs on IBM PC/PCjr with 192K, 
Commodore 64/128, APPLE Ik, or APPLE He 
with 80 Col. 128KCard, 
and is NOT COPY- 
PROTECTED. ^$ 



Please charge my 

□ Visa 

□ MasterCard 

□ American Express 

□ My check is enclosed 

Card Number 

Signature 

Name 




_Exp.Date_ 



Address - 

City 

State 



_ Zip _ 



NC residents add 4'/2% sales tax. 

Foreign orders add $20.00 additional shipping. 



Inquiry 34 5 



PROMAL is a trademark of Systems Management Associates, Inc. Turbo Pascal is a trademark of Borland International, Inc. 

JANUARY 1986 



BYTE 277 



ORGANIC SYNTHESIS 



turned off. The capacitor connected 
from collector to emitter on the 
switching transistor slows its switching 
speed, preventing secondary break- 
down from the turn-off transient of 
the inductive load. Drive for these cur- 
rent boosters is derived from a 16-bit 
buffered parallel I/O card. Figure 1 1 
shows the output section of this cir- 
cuit. The DP8311 octal peripheral 
driver is used as a medium-power 
(100 mA per line) open-collector in- 



verting buffer. The SIP resistor pack 
on the outputs is optional and is not 
used when the power booster circuit 
is used. 

The DC motor on the syringe hand 
that drives the syringe plunger is con- 
trolled by the circuitry shown in figure 
12. The location of the plunger cor- 
responding to the empty and full posi- 
tions is discerned by a pair of com- 
parators that monitor the voltage 
across the position feedback poten- 



tiometer in the hand. In this cleaning 
operation, we monitor only the open 
and closed positions of the plunger. 
When given an UP signal from the 
controller, the plunger is allowed to 
slew to the top position: a UN signal 
slews the plunger to the bottom. The 
controller can determine the position 
of the plunger by monitoring the TOP 
and BO TTOM signals. A th ird input 
signal, HAND PRESENT, detects 

{continued) 




RESET Q> 



06 O 



Figure 9: \ 6-bit buffered parallel input circuit. 



278 BYTE • JANUARY 1986 



THE CMS 
POWER SERIES 

Expansion Subsystems for IBM 
and 
ompatible Computers 









1 - Iffi B 


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D 


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u 


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D 







The Power Drive™ 

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. 



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Features: 

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Three independent AC circuits 
AC line filter 



The Power Twin™ 

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~ 10 to 30 MB 



AC surge suppressor 

Fan 

Triple output DC supply 



The Power Tape™ 

Tape Backup Subsystems 
10 to 60 MB 




The Power Center 7 ' 



Stackable expansion subsystem 

Accepts up to two half height 
30 MB disk or 60 MB tape drives. 



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Inquiry 123 



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IN MISSOURI: 314-423-8300 

Midwest Computer & Video Supply Co. 

P.O. BOX 28448 ST. LOUIS , MIS SOURI 63146 
C.O.D. U^J 



TAKE COMMAND 

of Your Keyboard 





Place your most often used software commands where 
they belong— at your fingerlips— on lop of the keys. 
End fumbling and searching Ihrough manuals. Touch- 
down" 1 Key Overlays will greatly reduce instructional 
needs and learning time, reduce operator fatigue and 
increase productivity. 

These Overlays are made of a non-glare rigid plastic material with 
the same look and feel as the original keytop, precisely die-cut to the 
exact size of your keytops. Printing is on the underside to prevent 
the print from ever wearing off. The back is laminated with a strong 

non-slip adhesive lor permanent adherence to 

the keytop; although (hey can be removed without 

permanent damage to the keytops if desired. 

Instructions for easy installation are included 
with the kit. 
CUSTOM KEY OVERLAYS can be made to your exact specs at a much lower cost than engraving. 

P 0. Box 201, Dept. B, Cornville, AZ 86325 (602) 634- 7517 



r 


KEY OVERLAYS 


Qty. 


Price 


KEYTOP EXPANDERS g^ 
Qty. Price 
IBM PC. PC/XT, PC Port. 




Qry. Price 


MulliMate (44 keytops) 


$29.95 




5250/5251 (48 keytops/lronts) $21.95 


Easy Writer II (22 keytops/ 






5520 (101 keytops) 29.95 


7 key Ironls/Handy Card) 


29.95 




3270 (30 key fronts) 18.95 


Lotus 1-2-3 




(12 keys) $21.95 




DisplayWrite 2 (36 keytops) 21 .95 


(24 keytops/Handy Card) 


29.95 


IBM 5291 Display Station 




DisplayWrite 3 (38 keytops) 21.95 

Dvorak (43 keytops) 26.95 


WordPerlecl 

(32 keytops/Handy Card) 


29.95 


(13 keys) 21.95 
Compaq. Columbia (10 keys) 21.95 




Wordstar (29 keytops) 26.95 


WordPerfect 3.2 (32 keytops/ 




Corona, Eagle Spirit, Oubie, 




Control Key English (5 keytops) 6.95 


10 key fronts/Handy Card) 


29.95 


Keytronfc (10 keys) 21.95 




Blank Overlays (99 keytops) 21 .95 


WordPerlecl 4.0 (24 key tops/ 




IBM 3270 PC 'Enter (1 keytop) 3.95 




Do-it-yoursetl Kit (200 + pieces) 29.95 


11 key Ironls/Handy Card) 


29.95 






Name 






TOTAL (Min. order $10.00) $ 




Address 






Prices include tirs! class postage. 
(Orders shipped within 24 hours.) 












Cily 


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ORGANIC SYNTHESIS 



ne 



2 



tl.OK 






2N5174 



SOLENOID 
IN 4002 I VALVE 

c=) r"i 

1N4002A | J 



Figure 10: Valve-driver power booster 
circuit. 

when the hand has been placed in its 
parking station. One subtle feature is 
the internal interlock signal. This 
signal is generated by a magnetically 
actuated reed switch on the parking 
station. The magnet is attached to the 
robot arm. The purpose of this circuit 
is to prevent power from the auxiliary 
contacts from being applied to the 
hand when it is still attached to, and 
powered by, the robot arm. To activate 
the syringe cleaner drive, the robot 
arm must physically back away from 
the hand. 

The final device controlled in this 
application is a standard 120 V AC 
solenoid valve used to turn on and off 
the water to an aspirator that provides 
vacuum for removing the waste sol- 
vent. This valve is controlled by an op- 
tically coupled solid-state relay driven 
directly from a DP8311 output. Liquid- 
presence sensors on each waste line 
are used to help ensure that the wash- 
ing operation actually occurred. 

Having described the hardware, let 
us examine some of the software re- 
quirements. Since this is a subsystem, 
it must be able to communicate with 
a higher-level computer. The commu- 
nication is done serially over an 
RS-232C link in a block protocol, with 
CRC-16 error checking and automatic 

[continued] 



280 BYTE • IANUARY 1986 



Inquiry 159 for End-Users. Inquiry 160 for DEALERS ONLY. 



Transporter 

NightShift 




Long After Your Staff Goes Home, We Keep Your PC Making 
Calls, Sending and Receiving Files, and Keeping a Log 



Your microcomputer doesn't go home at five. Why 
not keep It working? 

TRANSPORTER keeps your PC communicating 
almost as well as your staff could do it. Just load it 
with a "task list" before you go home. It can 
automatically call other computers, log in, repeat 
calls if necessary, send and receive files, and more. 

It can do it overnight, when phone rates are 
lowest. 



The next morning, TRANSPORTER gives you a 
report of what it has accomplished during its night 
shift. 

So you can start the day ahead of the game. 

TRANSPORTER comes with our popular CROSSTALK 
data communications program added on. It com- 
municates with any other system running 
TRANSPORTER or CROSSTALK. For details, see your 
retailer or write for a brochure. 

D- 

1000 Holcomb Woods Parkway 
Roswell. Georgia 30076 

For the IDM Personal Computer. Requires 1 28K RAM, two disk drives, PC-DOS. Asynchronous Communications interface or equivalent R5202 connection, and a modem compatible with 
the 'AT command set. 



Inquiry 247 



MICROSTUF 



Push Back 
The Envelope: 

10/6 

& 12.5 MHz 

AT Compatibility 




A HERITAGE OF EXCEL- 
LENCE ... In any mar- 
ketplace one product stands 
out as the pinnacle of per- 
formance and value. In the 
PC/XT marketplace, that 
product is the ACS-1000: 
4.77 or 8 MHz operation, 1 
Megabyte memory, built-in 
communications, built-in 
floppy disk controllers, even 
a SASf interface— all pack- 
aged on a single board and 
priced competitively with the 
merely compatible. 

Building on the heritage of 
the ACS-1000, the ET-286 
plus brings the same stan- 
dards of excellence to the AT 
marketplace. 



ACS-1000 ET-286 plus 

• 8 Or 4.77 MHz • 10/6 & 12.5MHz 

• 1 Meg Memory • 4 Meg Memory 

• 2 Serial Ports • 3 Serial Ports 

• 1 Parallel Port • 2 Parallel Ports 

• On Board Disk Controller • 8 Expansion Slots 

• On-Board Clock/Calendar • Onboard Clock/Calendar 

A WORD ABOUT STANDARDS . . . 

A lumbering giant like IBM must play it safe, move slowly and if at all possible, 
maintain control. Control is maintained by setting standards . . . safe, easy targets for 
performance. 

OEM's and system integrators profit from those standards and the market 
acceptance they create by combining compatibility With superior performance. You 
might say that IBM sets the standards, and the aftermarket raises them. 



J EXPERIENCE WAIT- 

I LESSNESS . . . While your 
I competitor's products are 
; toiling away at a meager 6 
J MHz, you and your ET-286 
I p/us can jet along at 10 MHz! 
S If that's not fast enough, the 
I architecture of the ET-286 
i plus is ready to launch into 
| HyperSpeed at 12.5 MHz 
j when processors are com- 
'-• mercially available. You can, 
| through software, throttle 
1 back to 6 MHz with 1 wait 
j state for absolute adherance 
I to the IBM standard. Or a 
.1 simple jumper sets the 
| ET286 plus at 6 MHz with no 
I wait state. 

As further insurance for 
| your future, the ET-286 plus 
is the first PC to use the new 
1 Megabit Ram chips (in 
addition to 256K chips), of- 
fering up to 4 megabytes of 
J on-board memory. As a ma- 
jor node in your network, 
we've provided two parallel 
ports and three serial (take 
your pick: RS-232 or RS-422) 
ports. 

Even with all these fea- 
tures, this American made 
product is available in OEM 
quantities for under $1,000. 
.In fact, for a limited time we 
are offering qualified OEMs 
a system evaluation kit in- 
cluding a fully tested 10 MHz 
board, 51 2K memory, cables 
and 200w power supply for 
$1 495. For more informa- 
tion, call or write: 

ACS International, Inc. 
2105 Luna Rd., Suite 330 

Carroliton, Texas 75006 

214-247-5151 

TELEX: 709748 ACS UD 



ORGANIC SYNTHESIS 



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PCI 



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Figure II: \6-bit buffered parallel output circuit. 



JANUARY 1986 -BYTE 283 



ORGANIC SYNTHESIS 



+ 5V 



HAND PRESENT T 



OK 



10K 
LO SET 



BOT 



100K 2 




10M 



10K 
HI SET 



U 




m 



10M 



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TOP I 



BOTTOM 



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MAGNETICALLY 

ACTUATED 

INTERLOCK 



10K **• 
POSITION 
FEEDBACK 



lOOnF 



/?7 +v 



;2.2K 



Figure 12: Parfed syringe hand drive circuit. 



retransmission of bad blocks. The 
most common request from the 
superior processor will be "Which 
syringe hand is clean and ready?" The 
subsystem must answer this question, 
but if no hand is available, it should 
give an estimate of when one will be 
ready. This allows the calling pro- 
cessor to set a countdown timer that 
avoids redundant requests for a clean 
hand when none is available. Another 
interaction with the calling processor 
is downloading a special cleaning pro- 
cedure to be used in place of the 
default method. The local processor 
should be able to handle routine error 
conditions such as a pump losing its 
prime, but it will have to report fatal 



errors, like being out of solvent, to the 
superior processor. 

A Look into the Future 

In the evolution of this project, many 
problems like the syringe cleaner will 
continue to be encountered. Some 
can be sidestepped, others ignored, 
but many will require solutions. The 
software will be formidable, but hope- 
fully the user interface will hide most 
of this so that the system will not in- 
timidate its users. Even when com- 
plete in its present design, our system 
will require input from a highly trained 
chemist to produce useful results. This 
may not always be so. Rapid progress 
is being made in the parallel field of 



computer-aided synthetic design. The 
future marriage of an automated syn- 
thesis system such as ours and a 
synthesis-design computer will result 
in a quantum leap in organic 
chemistry: the ability to design, carry 
out, and optimize the production of 
a material under the guidance of a 
computer. ■ 

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 
We would like to note especially the hard 
work of Doug Lantrip. Mike Trueblood, 
and Roger Frisbee. without whom most of 
this system would still be on paper. Finan- 
cial support by Hoffmann-La Roche Inc., 
The Dow Chemical Co., Eli Lilly and Co., 
and the National Science Foundation 
(CHE-840611 5) is gratefully acknowledged. 



284 BYTE • JANUARY 1986 




PC 




SOURCE 







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20MB Hard Disk* 

comPAa 

Portable 



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$595 $749 

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• Intel 8088-3 (4.77 MHz) 
•MicroSoft MS-DOS 2.11 

•1-Half Height 

Floppy Disk Drive 
•640KRam 

•135 Watt Power Supply 
•8 Total Slots 

• Standard Keyboard 




C/XT1 



$695 

Free Shipping! 




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Runs All Major Software 

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IBM PC & PC-XT 



Complete Hard Disk Kits 
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• Reliable • Full Instructions • 1 Year Warranty 

$395 $479 $695 

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STANDARCEE MFC 




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W/384K 



Memory 

64K Chip Set 

9chipsperset, 

1 Yr. Warranty <tO 

MinimumOrder2Sets. . M*0 

256K chip Set 

9chips perset, CtOQ 

1 Yr. Warranty , . ^) ^ -/ 



SixPakPlus 




$249 



W/384K 



■ ■ ■ : ■ m:r. ■ ■■ 

STANDARCE AT-MFC $299 STANDARDS FDC $79 *ST Advantage! $399 




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HEWLETT 
PACKARD 



7475 

SixPen,SizeA&b 



S Pen, Size A. . 



Intel 

Math Co-Processor 

* 1419 | 8087 $119 
$1 



1195 80287 $219 



360K 

Floppy Drive 
for the IBM ATtm 




$109 



CORPORATE AND INSTITUTIONAL ACCOUNTS 

Our national accounts division is dedicated to providing the prompt professional service required to keep your business running smoothly. 
We accept P.O.'s on a Net Terms basis, {minimum purchase of S50) offer same day shipping, free fully insured UPS ground shipment. We 
offer full-time technicalslaff to answer any questions that might arise and to make fast repairs if neeeded. Call our nation, jl accounlsslaff 
today. We Make Your Job Easier... 

OUR POLICY 

We accept Mastercard & Visa (with no Surcharge!), money orders, certified checks, personal checks ( allovv 10 days for processing), COD 
(minimum purchase of $50), Company/Institutional P.O. 'sand wire transfers. We do not charge your card until we ship. We pay shipping 
(UPSground,fullyinsured)onorders delivered in continental U.S.A. 

Add 6 1)8 sales tax if Texas resident. Prices are subject to change. All equipment carries a new factory warranty. Any return item must be 
accompanied by a return authorization number. 



Call Toll Free (800)626-4027 
WithinTexas(512) 331-6700 

JPG- 



Inquiry 67 

12303-G Technology Austin, TX 78727 [ ( 



The personal computer 
that raised high performance 

to new heights. 



If you work with high volumes of information, 
you need answers fast. 



You need a personal computer thafs up 
to the task. 

Which is why IBM created the Personal 
Computer AT® system. It's changed a lot of 
ideas about business computing. 

The idea of "fast" has become much 
faster. The idea of "data capacity" has 
become far greater. 

There are new definitions of "power" in a 
stand-alone PC. While phrases like "sharing 
files" and "multi-user systems" are being 
heard more often. 

And surprisingly, words like "affordable" 
and "state-of-the-art" are being used together. 

Clearly, the Personal Computer AT is 
different from anything that came before. 
And what sets it apart can be neatly summed 
up in two words. 

Advanced Technology. 

If youVe ever used a personal computer 
before, you'll notice the advances right away. 

To begin with, the Personal Computer AT 
is extraordinarily fast. That's something 
you'll appreciate every time you recalculate a 
spreadsheet. Or search through a data base. 

It can store mountains of information — 
literally thousands of pages' worth— with a 
single "hard file" (fixed disk). And now you 
can customize your system to store up to 



30,000 pages with the addition of a second 
hard file. 

The Personal Computer AT runs many of 
the thousands of programs written for the 
IBM PC family. Like IBM's TopView, the 
program that lets you run and "window" 
several other programs at once. 

Perhaps best of all, it works well with both 
the IBM PC and PC/XT Which is welcome 
news if you've already made an investment in 
computers. 

You can connect a Personal Computer AT 
to the IBM PC Network, to share files, 
printers and other peripherals with other 
IBM PCs. 

You can also use a Personal Computer AT 
as the centerpiece of a three-user system, 
with your existing IBM PCs as workstations. 

Most important, only the Personal 
Computer AT offers these capabilities and 
IBM's commitment to quality, service and 
support. (A combination that can't be 
cloned.) 

If you'd like to learn more about the IBM 
Personal Computer AT, see your Authorized 
IBM PC Dealer, IBM Product Center or IBM 
marketing representative. For a store near 
you, call 1-800-447-4700 (in Alaska, call 
1-800-447-0890). 



The IBM Personal Computer AT, 
for Advanced Technology. 



Little Tramp character licensed by Bubbles Inc., s.a. 

IBM, Personal Computer AT PC/XT and TopView are trademarks of International Business Machines Corporation. 

286 BYTE • JANUARY 1986 



Inquiry 163 




JANUARY 1986 -BYTE 287 



BYTE 



Reviews 



Reviewers Notebook 

by Glenn Hartwig 291 

Canons A-200 

by Peter V. Callamaras 293 

Color Fox 

by lohn D. Unger 301 

Eco C88 C Compiler 

by David D. Clark 307 

Inside The Sider 

by Douglas E. Hall 319 

Advantage! for the AT 

by TI Byers 327 

Enable 

by Steve King 331 

Review Feedback 344 



WE BEGIN OUR SYSTEM REVIEWS this month with a look at Canon's A-200 
computer. The unit is based on an 8086 microprocessor running at 4.77 MHz 
and comes standard with 2 56K bytes of RAM, I6K bytes of ROM, and a 4K- 
byte permanent diagnostics routine in ROM. Other memory features are 4K 
bytes of video RAM if you choose a monochrome monitor and 16K bytes 
of video RAM if you get the unit with the color monitor. Reviewer Peter 
Callamaras was struck by what seems to be a good amount of room in the 
system housing for both expansion boards and a possible hard disk. It comes 
with two half-height 360K-byte 5!4-inch floppy-disk drives. 

The Color Fox from Scottsdale Systems started its existence as the Sanyo 
MBC-555 computer. From there, however, some substantial modifications were 
made. The result, according to reviewer John Unger, is something that is 
generally more IBM PC-compatible than the earlier Sanyo but is still less so 
than such offerings as the Compaq or the Zenith Z-l 50. Mr. Unger makes the 
point that most of the enhancements to the Sanyo to create the Color Fox 
are hardware. 

David D. Clark, in his review of Ecosoft's Eco-C88 C compiler for Z80 CP/M 
systems, notes that this is an update of a product that was less than sterling 
in its earlier incarnation. Now, however, he feels that the changes made to 
the compiler not only make it worth another look but have improved it to 
the point where he can give it a good recommendation. 

Next, Douglas E. Hall gives us the benefit of his experiences with The Sider 
hard-disk drive for the Apple 1 1 + and I Ie. The 1 0-megaby te external hard disk 
not only was affordable but was offered with a 1 5-day free trial that was just 
too much of a good thing to pass up. How well did it live up to its advanced 
billing? As with everything, reports Mr. Hall, there are pluses and minuses. 

Architectural differences between the IBM PC and the PC AT have created 
a new load of enhancement products that are designed to do for the latter 
what has long been available to owners of the former. A case in point is the 
subject of a review by TI Byers: the Advantage! multifunction board for the 
AT from AST Research. You can load the Advantage! with almost 10 times 
the RAM of another AST product, the SixPakPIus, which is designed for the 
IBM PC. What you could wind up with is an extra 3 megabytes of memory 
in a- single expansion slot. 

Reviewer Steve King takes a hard look at an integrated software package 
called Enable from The Software Group. Here we have a $69 5 package claimed 
in its initial version to be a word processor, database manager, spreadsheet, 
and data-communications program. There are a lot of promising aspects to 
the package, says Mr. King, and indeed the producer has refined it in a subse- 
quent version. However, you'll want to read this review for its thoughtful and 
well-documented analysis of a package undergoing evolution. 



JANUARY 1986 -BYTE 289 



THE SMARTEST BUY 
YOU'LL EVER MAKE: 

20 MBYTES OF AUTOMATIC TAPE 
BACK-UP FOR JUST $795. 




*H mM 



ii 



The Sysgen Smart Imaged 

More capacity. More features. More value. 

The best-selling tape back-up system for the 
IBM® and compatibles gets even better! 

Now the Sysgen Smart Image delivers double 
the storage capacity: 20 Mbytes on a high density 
cassette. It backs your data up automatically. And 
it comes in two convenient versions: The internal 
model, for just $795— or the slim, half-height 
external chassis for $895. 
Only Sysgen gives you unattended back-up. 
Set the Smart Image once, like a VCR, and it will 
back up your data up to twice daily, seven days a 
week. And, if you're using your system, the Smart 

Trademarks: Sysgen. Smart Image-Sysgen. inc. Registered Trademarks: IBM, PC DOS- 
International Business Machines Corporation. 

47853 Warm Springs Blvd., Fremont, CA 94539 
(415) 490-6770, Telex 4990843 




Image will wait until you're through 
your files automatically. That's smart. 
You can't pass up a buy like this. 

You won't find a smarter solution— or a better price. 
Sysgen's entire disk and smart tape family offers an 
unbeatable combination of capacity and value. Our 
systems are IBM® standard compatible, and 

run all software written , _ 

for current versions of PC 

DOS.® Compare Ii] 

for yourself: 

For a Sysgen _~. 

dealer sJ^i/^--^ 

near you, 

call 1-800- 

821-2151, 

Dept.22 




SYSGEN 

INCOR PORATED 



REVIEWER'S NOTEBOOK 



O □ 



We seem to have an endless 
supply of products to review. 
This month, I thought I'd give you a 
little preview of what's in store. 

Consider Pocket APL from Scientific 
Time Sharing Corp. (STSC). APLs a 
language that has long been popular 
as a teaching tool but never left 
school with the graduating students. 
One of the reasons why it suffered in 
comparison with other languages was 
the fact that you needed relatively ex- 
pensive and specialized hardware to 
implement it. For example, using APL 
used to mean that you had to have 
at least an 8087 numeric coprocessor 
and a special-character ROM (read- 
only memory). Now, with Pocket APL, 
you can go about your business with 
nothing more specialized than an IBM 
Personal Computer with 128K bytes 
of RAM (random-access read/write 
memory). Judging from the review 
now in process, this is a complete, 
though compact, implementation of 
APL with extended system and file 
functions, on-line help facilities, and 
sample workspaces on one disk. 

On the other hand. Pocket APL 
looks like a learner's tool in that it em- 
phasizes user-friendliness, and it 
would probably be of more use to 
you if your applications are going to 
be small. Further, it has at least one 
serious disadvantage in that it limits 
its workspace to 64K bytes, regardless 
of the size of the memory on your 
machine. You can get versions of APL 
from STSC that are more full-featured 
(greater memory utilization, full-screen 
editing, graphics, etc.). However, these 
implementations are proportionally 
more expensive than Pocket APL and 
are the ones you'll want to keep in 
mind if your learning experience on 
the compact version piques your in- 
terest about going further. The review 
reveals that the language has some 
surprising capabilities. 




Other reviews we've got cooking for 
the months ahead include one on 
Ericsson's laptop portable computer. 
The company announced several 
months ago that it would no longer 
be selling this attractive, plasma- 
screen unit in the United States— 
which turned out to be both true and 
not true. Ericsson will no longer sell 
the computer line through retail 
outlets or through normal computer 
distributors. The computers will be 
available directly from the company 
Ericsson tells us. (Ericsson telecom- 
munications equipment is still being 
actively sold.) BYTE's readers through- 
out Europe will still be able to pur- 
chase the Ericsson laptop through 
normal channels. Whether or not the 
computer is worth the extra trouble 
it will take to own one in the U.S. is 
a good question. We're hoping this 
review will provide enough informa- 
tion to make it answerable. 

An interesting example of resur- 
gence is the Ace 2000 series 
from Franklin. The reorganized com- 
pany claims that the 65SC02 pro- 
cessor used in its Apple Il-compatible 
machine is functionally identical to 
the 65C02 used in both the lie and 
lie and is therefore a true work-alike 
for the He, II+, and He. Its "Franklin 
DOS" operating system is claimed 
compatible with both Apple DOS 3.3 
and Apple ProDOS as well as being 
faster on disk-access functions. Fur- 
ther, it comes with its own version of 
BASIC in ROM. Franklin is now pro- 
ducing the Ace 2000 in models 
equipped with two, one, or no disk 



drives, and the monitor is an extra- 
cost option no matter which model 
you buy. As to price, the no-drive 
system was introduced at $699, with 
the one- and two-drive models cost- 
ing $849 and $999, respectively. Stan- 
dard features include 128K bytes of 
RAM, capability for 80-column dis- 
play and double high-resolution 
graphics, and a parallel printer card. 
With a 6 7 -watt power supply, it has 
more than enough power to support 
a hard disk. 

All in all, you seem to get quite a 
bit for your money. We expect to have 
more to report when the review final- 
ly appears in print. 

We're also looking at a review of 
an interesting data-storage and 
-retrieval device for the Commodore 
64. Called the Quick Data Drive, from 
Entrepo Inc., it reads and writes data 
on miniature wafer-tape cassettes. The 
company claims its unit is not only 20 
times faster than a cassette drive but 
is also faster at loading programs than 
the Commodore disk drive, l^pe-loop 
lengths vary from a 56K-byte capaci- 
ty of 20 feet up to a 62-foot model 
that will hold more than 170K bytes 
of data. You can designate up to 2 55 
files on one wafer. A number of other 
intriguing aspects to this drive could 
make it worth investigating if you have 
a Commodore 64, and there are a 
number of things you're going to have 
to live with that may or may not pres- 
ent problems in your particular appli- 
cations. 

Other review topics for the near 
future will be: C compilers, expert-sys- 
tem development tools, high-speed 
modems, text- and data-compression 
products for storage and communica- 
tions, more full systems, and periph- 
erals from hard disks to printers. 
—Glenn Hartwig 
Technical Editor, Reviews 



ILLUSTRATED BY MAC1EK ALBRECHT 



JANUARY 1986 -BYTE 291 






,hr*-t 



r 



D 

iiiiiniiiiiiui 



WHAT YOU SHOULD. WHAT YOU SHOULD NOT, NOW AND LATER 



You don't want to buy a multi-user system 
without a PC file server capability. You don't 
want to buy a PC file server without a multi- 
user capability. The Multi-User File Server 
(MUFS) is what compliments your needs in 
performance, growth, and cost. 



Selecting the right 
computer system is the 
most crucial require- 
ment for your company 



. 




sp^^^l^g 




'ismm 7 *' 


]t- ■'.;:-■■■ 



m 



growth, because of ever- 
increasing demand in 
computer performance and 
capacity. The computer 
you purchase now should 
not be a bottleneck later.. 



JC Multi-User, Multi-Processor, File Server is the 
only computer system you can afford to 
speculate. And Nothing else. . . 

JC INFORMATION SYSTEMS 

! 161 Whitney Place 
= -.;== :j= Ftemont, CA 94539 

=r 415/659-8440 TLX: 910-381-7041 



In Australia: Synax Systems, Ctr. Pacific Hwy & Beaconsfield, LindfieB N.S.W. Australia 2070, Tel: 467-1166 TLX: (790)25468 
In The United Kingdom: Interexm Corporation 62 Weir Road Wimbledon, London SW19 8UG, England, Tel: 879-1888 TLX: (851)8954072 
In Europe: COSTEC Gmbh Hollandische Strasse 19, 3500 Kassel, West Germany, Tel: 56147268 TLX: (841)99695 
AHECTA System AB Ekensbergsvagen 117, 5-171 41 Solna, Sweden, Tel 898-6790 TLX: (854)08986790 




SYSTEM REVIEW 



Canon's A-200 



An IBM 



PC-compatible 
with room 



to grow 



by Peter V. 
Callamaras 



Peter V. Callamaras is a captain 

in the U.S. Air Force. His interests 

are computers, model railroading. 

photography, reading, and physical 

conditioning. He can be contacted 

at POB 408, Scoff Air Force Ease. 

IL 62225. 



The Canon A-200 computer system 
is a three-piece unit consisting of a 
video display, a keyboard, and the 
computer itself. The computer is built 
around an 8086 microprocessor running at 
4.77 MHz. 

The A-200 comes standard with 256K 
bytes of RAM (random-access read/write 
memory) and 16K bytes of ROM (read-only 
memory). A 4K-byte permanent diagnostics 
routine executes when you turn the power 
on. With the monochrome monitor, you get 
4K bytes of video RAM; with the color 
monitor, you get 16K bytes. You also get an 
RS-232C port, a Centronics parallel port, 
and a place to plug in an 8087 numeric data 
processor. 

Five IBM PC-compatible slots are built in- 
to the A-200, but you can use only four, 
since one is for the video-interface card. 
'IWo.of the slots are on a 16-bit data bus 
(one is used by the video-display adapter); 
the other three are 8-bit. One nice feature 
is the ability to add 2 56K bytes of RAM 
(from Canon) without using any of the re- 
maining four expansion slots. You can go 
to a 512K-byte system and have four slots 
left for expanding. 

The system reviewed had two half-height 
360K-byte 5i4-inch floppy-disk drives. I saw 
no mention of a hard disk from Canon, but 
the system should accept any third-party 
IBM-compatible drive with no problem. 
| Editor's note: Canon now has A-200 systems with 
a \0-rnegabyte hard-disk drive and a 360K-byte 
floppy-disk drive] 

Internally, the drives take up most of the 
front right-hand side, the power supply and 
fan are behind the drives, and the expan- 
sion slots are on the left. There appears to 
be plenty of room for the necessary work- 
ing space when you add boards. The ROM 
chips are readily accessible, just behind the 
left-hand disk drive, so any updates would 
be simple to make. Reading the names on 
the various components inside makes it evi- 
dent Canon has gone to some pretty good 
subvendors for parts, with drive com- 



ponents from Sankyo and a Kyocera power 
supply/fan case (used in the Radio Shack 
Model 100 and the NEC PC-8401A laptop 
portable). One concern I have is how well 
the fan would do in cooling added com- 
ponents, since there doesn't appear to be 
any venting to draw air across the 
expansion-slot area. With a "full house" 
system, any potential for overheating needs 
to be considered. 

The Keyboard 

The keyboard is a standard IBM PC-style 
unit with 10 function keys on the left side, 
a QWERTY keyboard in the center, and a 
numeric keypad on the right for a total of 
83 keys. Unfortunately Canon duplicated 
the IBM keyboard without any improve- 
ments—not even status lights on the Caps 
Lock key or a decent-size Return key (see 
photo 1). While the keyboard appears plug- 
compatible with the IBM PC (so you could 
use a third-party or IBM keyboard if 
desired). Canon could have made a lot of 
friends by improving the keyboard. The keys 
have a very light yet comfortable feel but 
offer no resistance or feedback when 
pressed. You can end up with a string of the 
same letters if you aren't light-fingered. I 
liked the keyboard, despite its shortcom- 
ings, because of the quiet keys. 

The Display 

For the video display, you have a choice of 
color or monochrome (P-39 green) units 
mounted in a swivel/tilt housing that works 
nicely. I could just set it and forget it. The 
display is connected with a nine-pin cable 
running between the rear of the computer 
and the monitor. 

The monochrome unit gives you the stan- 
dard 80-character by 2 5-line display, but it's 
with the color monitor that the A-200 really 
shines. The color monitor is rated at 40/80 
characters by 2 5 lines with a total of 16 
colors available. You get 640 by 200 pixels 
in black-and-white mode and 320 by 200 

[continued] 



JANUARY 1986 -BYTE 293 




A-zeonardo Da Vinci was 

not only a great artist, 

he was also a great 

engineer and architect. 

His innovative designs 

which blended art, 

science and technology 

stressed efficiency and 

detail and were years 

ahead of their time. 

Today, Da Vinci's fSpirrt- 

lives on in C^pP! Com 

puter Systems' ~ 
exciting graphics card. . . VIVA!' 
VIVA was designed for PC grapnics^sp 
ware developers by providing graphics ," , 
primitives in hardware, increasing prodiictivi ' 
ty and reducing application development 
time. 

VIVA was designed for graphics software! 
users by providing compatibility With existing 
PC/AT software packages, ultra hi^jh resbluj, 
tion color and vastly increased drawinlgJs^fcct.- 
over standard graphics cards. ; ' ^i^J~TJ-4 
VIVA, like Da Vinci, is now the new — : 
standard by which all other graphifcs[cai(a$ 
must be measured. This is VIVA; -iS, t_i- '• 

• Compatible with IBM, PC/XT, F£/~Jr 
and clones. 

• On-board video multiplexer 

Allows a single monitor to 'pe-usei 
both normal text and graphics. Si 
plug the output of your standard'' 
color graphics card into VlYi ' 
port, The display selection $s\ 
trolled through software. 

• On-board 16 bit graphics coproce: 

Performs all screen drawing Qj\tf did^jri 
functions at high speed Ipnyn v ;Jr>M t " M 
computer's CPU free to perjbrm ot, 
tasks. j^p 

• Use with standard IBM color TTL RG 

monitors. 

• Supports analog RGB monitors on thejfr&jc card. 

(You get ultra high resolution color' 
normally only available on mini and\main 
frame computers.) 

• Standard resolution of 640 by 400, 16 colors with 
128K of video ram on the Silver Card. 

• Maximum resolution of 1024 by 1024, 16 
with 512K of video ram on the Gold Card. 

• Expansion connector: 

Allows upgrades which extend and enhance 
features of the basic card—no more obsolete 
hardware. Planned extensions include: 

• 256 colors (8 bits/ pixel) display able frot\ 
pallete of 262,144 colors. 

• 512 colors (9 bits /pixel) display able from a pallete 
of 16,777,216 colors. 

• Display characteristics are fully programmable 

• Interlaced mode allows use of low cost monitors. 

• Non-interlaced mode for flicker-free display 

• Display size up to 1024 by 1024 (40 MHz bandwidth.) 

• Flash hardware enable/disable on 4 colors (Layers) allows any of 
4 specified layers to be temporarily "disabled" i.e., erased, then 
later can be "enabled", i.e., put back on the screen without being 
redrawn. This greatly increases speed of use. 

• Light pen input port. (Permits a light pen to be used as a 
pointing or pick device) 

• Hardware pan and zoom support. (Allows smooth 
panning, and zoom up to 16 times magnification) . / / 

• Compatible with existing software including AutoCAD^ ' 
p-cad, VERSACAD, MasterCAD, etc. 7 

• Software support. Planned software includes / j 
Tektronix emulation, Graphics support library. / 

Get VIVA and bring your PC 
to life! VIVA is versatile, state 
of the art quality at a price 
you can afford. Call today 
and we'll be there— QDP! 
VIVA Da VINCI! 



VIVA DaVINCI 

QDP PRESENTS 

THE ULTIMATE IN GRAPHICS CARDS 






this 



CSTcord acceP 



ted by ^er 



. PCs natio* 



% computer system 



QDP Computer Systems, Inc. 

10330 Brecksville Road 

Cleveland, Ohio 44141 

(2161 526-0838 Telex 243596 

Cable: Quasdata, Brecksville 



Inquiry 414 



p-cad is a trademark of Electronic Design Automation • AutoCAD is a trademark of Autodesk Inc. • VERSACAD is a trademark of T&W Systems, Inc. 
VIVA and MasterCAD is a trademark of QDP Computer Systems, Inc. • IBM is a trademark of International Business Machines 



AT A GLANCE 



Name 

Canon A-200 

Company 

Canon U.S.A. Inc. 
One Canon Plaza 
Lake Success, NY 11042 
(516) 488-6700 

Components 

Processor: 8086, 4.77 MHz 
Memory: 256K bytes 
Mass storage: Two 5 1 /4-inch 
double-sided double-density 
floppy-disk drives, 360K bytes 
each 

Display: 80 columns by 25 
lines, 640 by 200 pixels 
(black-and-white); 40/80 by 
25, 320 by 200 pixels (color) 
Keyboard: 83 keys, including 
10 function keys and numeric 
pad; IBM PC layout 
I/O interface: Centronics port, 
RS-232C port, five expansion 
slots (two 16-bit, three 8-bit) 

Software 

MS-DOS 2.11, GW-BASIC, 
diagnostics 

Options 

256K-byte RAM module 

Documentation 

Manuals for software and 
machine 

Price 

A-200 M2 (256K memory, two 
floppy-disk drives, mono- 
chrome monitor) $2195 

A-200 C2 (256K memory, two 
floppy-disk drives, color 
monitor) $2695 












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MEMORY SIZE (K BYTES) 
200 400 600 



1000 



DISK STORAGE (K BYTES) 
400 800 1200 



1600 















m 























• 


ii 





2000 



BUNDLED SOFTWARE PACKAGES 
2 4 6 



10 



PRICE {S 1000) 
'2 




CANON A-200 |j§§§| IBM PC V//A APPLE EL E 



The Memory Size graph shows the standard 
and optional memory available for the three 
computers under comparison. The Disk 
Storage graph shows the highest capacity of 
one and two floppy-disk drives for each system. 
The Bundled Software Packages graph shows 
the number of software packages included with 



each system. The Price graph shows the list 
price of each system with two high-capacity 
floppy-disk drives, a monochrome monitor, a 
printer port and a serial port, 256K bytes of 
memory (64K bytes for 8-bit systems), and the 
standard operating system and BASIC inter- 
preter for each system. 



JANUARY 1986 -BYTE 295 




The rear view of the Canon A-200 shows (from left to right) the blower 
fan, power cord receptacles, serial port and parallel port, and ex- 
pansion slots. 



DISK ACCESS IN BASIC (SEC) 
2 50 



2 00 



150 



50 



56 



_46 



29 



'36 



Inside the A-200. At the lower right are the expansion slots; the power 
supply is at the lower left. At the upper left are the floppy-disk drives. 



BASIC PERFORMANCE (SEC) 
250 



200 



150 




100 



WRITE 



SYSTEM UTILITIES (SEC) 



READ 



CALCULATIONS 



SPREADSHEET (SEC 





40K FORMAT/DISK COPY 40K FILE COPY 

| J CANON A-200 



LOAD 
IBM PC Y//A APPL E HE 



RECALCULATE 



The graph for Disk Access in BASIC shows how long it takes to write 
a 64K-byte sequential text file to a blank floppy disk and how long 
it takes to read this file. (For the program listings see June 1984 BYTE, 
page 327, and October 1984, page 33.) In the BASIC Performance 
graph, the Sieve results show how long it takes to run one iteration 
of the Sieve of Eratosthenes prime-number benchmark. In the same 
graph, the Calculations column shows how long it takes to do 10,000 
multiplication and 10,000 division operations using single-precision 
numbers. The System Utilities graph shows how long it takes to for- 



mat and copy a disk (adjusted for 40K bytes of disk data) and to 
transfer a 40K-byte file using the system utilities. The Spreadsheet 
graph shows how long the computers take to load and recalculate 
a 25- by 25-cell Microsoft Multiplan spreadsheet where each cell 
equals 1.001 times the cell to its left. The tests for the Canon A-200 
C2 computer used MS-DOS 2.11 and GW-BASIC. The tests for the 
Apple He were done with ProDOS (except for the spreadsheet, which 
was done with DOS 3.3). The IBM Personal Computer was tested 
with PC-DOS 2.0 and BASICA. 



296 BYTE* JANUARY 1986 



Inquiry 72 



REVIEW: CANON A-200 



Canon 




i vv v v v i : i ; i ; r r 

=jj. ,, y y r y y y V y y ■ 




-«* 



Photo I: Keyboard of the Canon A-200 computer. \t is identical to the 
IBM PC keyboard. 



pixels in four-color mode. This is a 
crisp, comfortable monitor to view, 
and I had no problem with text and 
graphics. Since you can mount the 
monitor on top of the basic computer 
system, the whole unit takes up only 
\7Va by \5% inches. 

Software and Manuals 

Other items that come with the A-200 
are MS-DOS 2.11, GW-BASIC 2.02, 
manuals for each, a 72-page manual 
for the computer, a self-prompting 
diagnostics disk, and a short pam- 
phlet about the monitor. The manuals 
for DOS and BASIC (about 167 and 
33 5 pages, respectively) are mainly 
for reference; you will have to supple- 
ment them with outside material if 
you don't know how to program in 
BASIC or want to work extensively 
with DOS. They are definitely not 
novice-level "how-to" manuals. The 
system manual is fairly well done and 
leads you through setup and opera- 
tion. I did have a problem when it 
came to booting the system up the 
first time due to the manual's orga- 
nization. I followed the manual in a 
serial fashion. I inserted a disk and 
then waited for it to boot; it wasn't 
until I turned to the next page that I 
read you're supposed to push in the 
head-lock button. The head-lock but- 
ton actually has a dual function: to 
pop a disk out and to raise and lower 
the head. Warnings placed on a 
following page are seldom read in 
time, so they should be on the same 
page as the actions they relate to. 



Other than that slight anomaly, the 
manuals do their job in helping you 
get the system up and running. 

IBM Compatibility 

The main question most users will 
have is just how IBM PC-compatible 
the system is. Happily, it is very PC- 
compatible. As mentioned earlier, the 
system comes with MS-DOS and GW- 
BASIC, so no problems there. The 
system also booted with PC-DOS 2.1 
and 3.0, and I did not notice any prob- 
lems. I also ran compatibility tests 
with WordStar, Lotus 1-2-3, and Flight 
Simulator, all without problems. Other 
programs (including FlashCalc, Dollars 
and Sense, and Statpro) also ran with- 
out any noticeable problems. Canon 
claims to have tested 400-plus pro- 
grams, and the only programs 
reported to have had any problems 
were some games, but Canon men- 
tions no names. 

Conclusion 

Overall, I found the A-200 with color 
monitor to be a very attractive system 
in terms of both looks and capability. 
I enjoyed using the system, and the 
color monitor is absolutely outstand- 
ing. It has been said that the lapanese 
incursion into the U.S. computer 
market follows their classic motto, 
'Tkke a product and then make it a lit- 
tle better and a little less expensive." 
While the Canon A-200 is not a quan- 
tum leap over the IBM PC, it is a less- 
expensive alternative in a capable 
package. ■ 



Color 
Diskettes 



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"A" Color Bulk w/Tyvek sleeves add 6C Label Kits 2c. 
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LIFETIME WARRANTY 

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Tyvek envelopes 6$ ea. 

PRINTER RIBBONS 

Epson MX 70/80 $2.68 

Epson MX-100 $4.06 

Okidata 80,82,83,92,93. $1.36 
Okldata 84 $2.95 



650 



Labels 2$ ea. 

DISK STORAGE 
Amray Media Mate 

50 $7.99 

Disk Minder II-75 $8.99 

Micro Disk Minder-36 ... $7.75 



PRICE PROMISE: We will better any 
lower delivered price on the same products 
and quantities advertised nationally. 
TERMS: FREE USE OF VISA AND MAS- 
TERCARD. American Express also accepted. 
Shipping: Add $3.00 per 1 OO diskettes or frac- 
tion thereof. Other items add S3.00 for disk 
storage or headcleaning kit or dozen ribbons 
or C.O.D. orders. P.O. accepted from recog- 
nized institutions and schools on 2%-10 Net 
30. Utah residents add 53/4% sales tax. 
Minimum order $30.00. 

TOLL FREE ORDER LINE: 

1 -800-233-2477 

INFORMATION AND INQUIRIES: 

1-801-942-6717 



2028 E. FT. UNION BLVD.. 105 
1/ SALT LAKE CITY. UTAH 84121 

LOmpUter CALL: 1-800-AFFAIRS 
I ff airS, inC. HOURS : 9AM-6PM M-F {Min Til 



JANUARY 1986 -BYTE 297 



YOU CAN'T GET 
A GOOD FEEL 
FOR A 
SOFTWARE 
PACKAGE 
FROM AM AD. 




If you're searching 
through the ads in this 
magazine for the 
"right" software pack- 
age, good luck. 

Let's say you're looking for a 
data base manager. You read a 
dozen ads. Each one offers its 
list of features. Each one talks 
about the ideal combination of 
power and ease of use. And 
each one promises to "solve 
your problems", "answer your 
needs", or both. 

Don't Believe Anybody 

We could make the same claims 
for DATAEA5E. Even before 
Release 2.5, tens of thousands 
of users made DATAEA5E the 
corporate data base standard. 
We could tell you that they 
found DATAEA5E to be an invalu- 
able productivity tool because of 
its fully relational capabilities, full 
screen editorand unique combi- 
nation of menus and com- 
mands. But don't believe us. 

More than 100 reviewers from 
major publications agree with 
our productivity claims. Data 
Decisions called DATAEA5E "per- 
haps the most effective blend of 
ease-of-use and performance 
available for PC users to date." 
But don't believe the reviewers. 

Application developers, MI5/DP/ 
IC managers, and all kinds of 
other users from Fortune 1000 
companies throughout the 
country have reached strikingly 
similar conclusions. A user at 
General Instruments reports 
that "those same factors that 



make DATAEA5E preferable for 
non-programmers — ease of 
use and speed of development 

— make it the program of 
choice for many technical types, 
too." But don't even believe 
other users. 

Nobody knows what you know. 

Even if all these people are 
absolutely rightabout 
DATAE A5E, does that mean it's 
the right product for you? 

The best way to know if 
DATAEA5E fits your needs is to 
get your hands on our free sam- 
ple diskette. Fifteen minutes 
with the sample will give you a 
feel for our best DATAEA5E yet 

— Release 2.5. It has features 
that appeal to all users; from 
developers to data entry people: 
A complete procedural lan- 
guage; quick reports at the 
press of a button; a direct inter- 
face to Lotus 1-2-5; the ability to 
move rapidly from file to file on a 
common piece of data; and 
built-in scientific, mathematical, 
financial, date, time, and string 
functions. 

Productivity takes more 
than a good product. 

It takes a good company, too. 
Buying a software package is 
the beginning of a relationship. 
Technical support, product 
upgrades, special corporate and 
dealer programs and informa- 
tional seminars should all be 
part of this relationship. If the 
only thing you get is a product, 
forget about productivity. At 
Software Solutions, you find 
more than a product. You find 
software solutions. 



Find out for yourself. 

The advances in DATAEA5E's 
Release 2.5, and the support 
behind it, offer you practical 
advantages that leave all the 
other data base managers far, 
far behind — including R:Base 
5000* and dBase III® But 
don't believe us. Call or write for 
information and your free sam- 
ple diskette today. 



Software Solutions, Inc. 

CALL OR WRITE FOR YOUR FREE 
SAMPLE DISKETTE. 

Send information and a free DATAEA5E 
sample diskette for my PC (chech one): 

n ibm n wang n dec n n 

Include materials relating to: 

I I Corporate Client I I Retailer 

I I MI5/DP/IC Professional ED VAD 

I I Other 



dame: 
Title: __ 



Phone: 



Company: . 
Street: 



City: 

Mail to: 



State: 



.Zip: 



BYT 1/86 



Software Solutions, Inc., 

12 Cambridge Drive, 

Trumbull, CT 0661 1 Telex: 703972 

Don't like samples? Then just call us. We'd 
be happy to talk about your information 
management needs and advise you. 

800-243-5123 



© 1985 Software Solutions, Inc. 

Trademarks are of their respective companies. 

Scandinavia 5wit?erland, France United Kinqdom West Germany, Austria 

West5oftA/5,Alesund, Norway; (47) 7 1-41 141 Softsource, 5&A 1222 Vesenaz, Switzerland; 022-3518-55 Sapphire Systems, Essex; 01-554-0582 M&T Software Verlag. Munich; 089-4615-0 



Inquiry 331 



JANUARY 1986 • BYTE 299 



Meet The Princeton 
Graphic Systems Family 

The right monitor at the right price. Princeton Graphic Systems offers you a complete family of high 
performance personal computer monitors. Monitors that deliver the compatibility, resolution, and reliability 
you need for any application and any budget: from word processing to sophisticated business graphics. 




HX-12E. High resolution RGB 
monitor 640x350 lines noninterlac- 
ed - .28 mm dot pitch -Compatible 
with IBM Enhanced Graphics 
Adapter -Nonglare screen -$785 



HX-12. High resolution RGB 
monitor -640x200 lines 
noninterlaced -.31 mm dot pitch 
tube-Nonglare screen -$695 




MAX- 12. Amber monochrome 
-720 x 350 lines -Enhanced to in- 
terface with IBM color or 
monochrome adapter card 
-Nonglare screen -Can display 16 
shades of amber -$249 



HX-9/9E. Nine inch, high 
resolution RGB monitor non- 
interlaced -.28mm dot pitch tube 
-9E compatible with IBM Enhanced 
Graphics Adapter -Nonglare screen 
-Green/amber switch -Apple/IBM 
colors - Etched dark glass screen 
-$650/$750 (9E) 




























*vt- 


r- 


fc , . 










jEyp 


;A 9 

1 • 

1: • 


WM 




: I 


Me 






— L ;:,.. ' 



SR-12P. PGS's top of the line 
RGB monitor 640x480 lines 
^ noninterlaced - .26 mm dot 
pitch - Analog input allows 
for the display of 4,096 
possible colors -Compatible 
with IBM Professional 
Graphics Adapter -Nonglare screen -$999 



SR-12. Super-high resolution RGB 
monitor -640 x 400 lines noninterlaced 
-.31 mm dot pitch tube - Nonglare screen 
- Requires interface card -$799 



Princeton Graphic Systems. The only real choice. 

For office or home use, Princeton Graphic Systems has a monitor that's right for you. Inquire 
at your local computer store about our complete line of high resolution color and monochrome 
monitors; monitors that live up to the Princeton Graphic Systems 'tradition of quality, perfor- 
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Princeton accessory product line. 

Undergraduate tilt/swivel monitor base, 
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PRINC ETON 



IBM IBM Enhanced Graphics Adapler. and IBM Professional Graphics Adapter are Irademarks 
ol International Business Machines, Inc. Compaq is a trademark of Compaq Computer Corp 
Corona is a trademark ot Corona Data Syslems, Inc. Apple is a trademark ol Apple Computer 
Corp. PC World Is a Irademark ot CW Communications Inc. SR-12 screen courtesy ol Mouse 
Systems. Inc. 



GRAPHIC SYSTEMS 

AN INTELLIGENT SYSTEMS COMPANY 



300 B YTE • JANUARY 1986 



Inquiry 288 




SYSTEM REVIEW 



Color Fox 



Scottsdale 
Systems 



MBC-555 



by John D. Unger 



Scottsdale Systems has taken the 
basic Sanyo MBC-5 55 computer 
and put it together with some major 
hardware upgrades to create the Silver Fox. 
enhances Scottsdale has replaced the 40-track 

— — double-sided double-density (DSDD) disk 

SanyO S drives with 80-track double-sided quad- 
density (DSQD) drives for a formatted disk 
capacity of 800K bytes per drive. Included 
with the Silver Fox is Sanyo's video RAM 
[random-access read/write memory) expan- 
sion board, which makes the computer 
much more IBM PC-compatible than the 
standard Sanyo MBC-555 and allows it to 
run Lotus 1-2-3 and other PC-compatible 
software. Besides the packages normally 
bundled with the Sanyo MBC-5 55, Scotts- 
dale Systems adds more programs, includ- 
ing the new operating system needed to use 
the high-capacity disk drives and the video 
board. 

Scottsdale Systems has also added an 
NEC color monitor to the basic Silver Fox 
and dubbed this combination the Color 
Fox. The Color Fox is the model 1 review in 
this article, and unless otherwise stated, the 
only difference between the Silver Fox and 
the Color Fox is the monitor. 

What you get when you buy a Color Fox 
is a complete computer system with suffi- 
cient software to carry out all the most com- 
mon tasks that a microcomputer is called 
upon to .do: word processing, spreadsheets, 
database management, and running BASIC 
programs. However, the Color Fox cannot 
be considered a "true" IBM PC-compatible 
machine like the Compaq or Zenith Z-150. 
If you must have some special piece of soft- 
ware for your specific application, make 
sure there is a version that runs on the 
Color Fox, either with or without the video 
RAM expansion board. 



]ohn D. Unger (POB 95, 

Hamilton. VA 22068) is a 

geophysicist for the U.S. government. 

At work he investigates the causes 

of earthquakes: at home he tries to 

keep up with the programming 

efforts of his two teenaged sons. 



Hardware 

The principal enhancements to the Color 
Fox are hardware, so I will spend most of 
the review discussing these aspects. As I 
mentioned, the basic hardware of the Color 



Fox is pure Sanyo. In spite of the new label 
on the front of the computer (see the photo 
in the "At a Glance" section), the plate with 
the serial number on the rear of the review 
machine reads "Sanyo MBC-5 55-2." 

The most apparent difference between 
the Color Fox and the Sanyo MBC-55 5 is 
the substitution of the standard DSDD disk 
drives with two DSQD drives. The drives, 
TEAC model FD-55F, can read and write 
disks formatted in all the standard MS-DOS 
40-track formats, either single- or double- 
sided. With a special operating system from 
Scottsdale Systems, the drives can read and 
write disks formatted with either 8, 9, or 10 
sectors and 80 tracks for a maximum 
capacity of 800K bytes per drive. This 
special operating system is essentially a 
modification of MS-DOS 2. 1 1 written for the 
Sanyo. It's called HAGEN-DOS. The com- 
puter must be booted with this special 
operating system to take advantage of the 
increased disk capacity. 

These high-density drives are significant- 
ly noisier than either the original single- 
sided or the DSDD TEAC FD-55B drives I 
now have in my Sanyo MBC-5 55. The noise 
appears to come from the stepper motor 
as it moves the heads from track to track, 
but it does not seem to affect the perfor- 
mance of the drives. 

I had not realized just how much you can 
store on one 5^-inch disk when it has a 
capacity of 800K bytes. In fact, I began to 
make good use of MS-DOS's tree directory 
structure, which is normally useful only on 
hard disks, and partitioned my files into dif- 
ferent subdirectories. While Scottsdale Sys- 
tems recommends disks certified at 96 
tracks per inch, I did not use anything other 
than disks certified for DSDD use in the 
quad-density drives, and I had no failures 
formatting even "generic" DSDD disks in 80- 
track format. 

The Sanyo video RAM board is an expan- 
sion board that was introduced about a 
year after the MBC-5 5 5 came on the market. 

{continued) 



JANUARY 1986 



5 Y T E 301 



REVIEW: COLOR FOX 



HAGEN-DOS looks 
and acts just like 
MS-DOS 2.11 except 
for the format program. 



Sanyo introduced this option to 
enable its computer to run Lotus 
1-2-3; as a side benefit, the Color Fox 
and any other Sanyo MBC-555 with 
the board installed can run other IBM 
PC graphics software as well. 

Technically, together with the 
special operating system, the video 
RAM board duplicates the 16 K bytes 
of memory that is permanently set 
aside in the IBM PC for direct memory 
access by the graphics display This 
tactic is necessary because the Sanyo 
MBC-55 5 uses a different section of 
memory for this purpose. The loca- 
tion of video RAM in the Sanyo also 
depends upon how much memory 
you have installed in your computer, 
just to complicate things further, the 
display is 'mapped" from RAM to the 
screen coordinates differently in the 
Sanyo than in the IBM PC. 

The video RAM board mounts in- 
side the case of the Color Fox and is 
electrically connected to the com- 
puter through the single expansion 
bus on the motherboard. Utilizing the 
video RAM board's capabilities can 
be somewhat awkward. The Color Fox 
comes with two versions of HAGEN- 
DOS. One version is for use when run- 
ning the "straight" 'Sanyo memory 
model (that is, without the video 
board enabled). The other version is 
for use with software that requires the 
video RAM board. Also, you have to 
switch the monitor from its normal 
output port on the rear of the com- 
puter to a different port on the expan- 
sion board. Initially, this was quite a 
chore because the two ports have dif- 
ferent types of sockets, so I was 
switching cables back and forth all the 
time. Scottsdale Systems now sup- 
plies a twin-lead cable connected to 
a two-position switch (standard with 
the Color Fox only). Still, when you 



want to change from using an applica- 
tion that requires the video board to 
one that doesn't, you must reboot the 
system with the proper version of 
HAGEN-DOS, switch the monitor 
cable selector, and then change the 
monitor SYNC setting from positive to 
negative. 

I was disappointed with the NEC 
color monitor. There were no prob- 
lems running graphics or games in 
color; the clarity and color separation 
in graphics mode were very good. My 
problems stem from trying to read 
text on the screen. The clarity and 
resolution of text were poor enough 
that, for the first time, I did not write 
the entire review on the actual com- 
puter I was reviewing. I lay the blame 
chiefly on the monitor because the 
Color Fox's text quality on a normal 
high-resolution monochrome monitor 
is quite acceptable. The character set 
is very similar to that formed on an 
IBM PC in graphics mode. 

The overall quality of the display 
while operating in IBM PC-compatible 
mode with the video RAM board is 
clearly worse than the standard dis- 
play mode. The screen scrolls in a 
jerky fashion, and the scrolling is ac- 
companied by streaking and blurring 
on the display. 

The Color Fox has all the open RAM 
sockets on its motherboard filled, giv- 
ing it a total of 256K bytes of RAM. 
This is the maximum memory for the 
Sanyo and the Color Fox. 

Software 

To run the bundled MicroPro and IUS 
software, or when running programs 
using Sanyo BASIC, you need to boot 
up under the version of HAGEN-DOS 
that disables the video RAM board. 
To run IBM PC-compatible software 
and the version of GW-BASIC included 
with the video board, you need to 
boot up under the version of I-TAGEN- 
DOS that enables the video board. 
Both operating systems support the 
quad-density disk drives and both in- 
clude some nice utility programs not 
supplied by Sanyo, including a RAM- 
disk program and a screen-dump 
routine. The two operating systems 
and their extra utility programs are 



products of A-OK Computers and can 
be obtained separately and used with 
a normal Sanyo MBC-555. (A-OK 
Computers is located at 816 Easley 
St., Silver Spring, MD 20910; tele- 
phone (301) 588-8446.) 

HAGEN-DOS looks and acts just like 
plain MS-DOS 2.11 except for the for- 
mat program, which is more user- 
friendly and includes the option to 
format disks in quad-density. I had no 
problem reading from or writing to 
disks created in either single- or 
double-sided double-density format 
on the Color Fox or on any other MS- 
DOS or PC-DOS machine. 

Scottsdale Systems spices up the 
Color Fox with three major pieces of 
bundled software not included with 
the Sanyo MBC-555. The programs 
are Spell, a spelling proofreader by 
Software Toolworks; Filebase, a sim- 
ple database manager by EWDP Soft- 
ware; and Mail TYack I, a mailing-list 
program by Sapana Micro Software. 
I found the best of the lot to be Spell. 
It runs faster and is easier to use than 
SpellStar, which is included with the 
WordStar series that comes with the 
Color Fox. Spell has an effective dic- 
tionary of more than 50,000 words 
and runs independently of the word- 
processing program you are using. It 
has no problems working with text 
files created by WordStar or with nor- 
mal ASCII files, but it may not work 
with files written on some word pro- 
cessors. 

Benchmarks 

The benchmarks for the Color Fox are 
somewhat more complex than usual. 
Because the video RAM board 
changes the character of the com- 
puter completely, I ran each bench- 
mark both with and without the board 
enabled. I used GW-BASIC for the 
BASIC benchmarks run with the video 
board and Sanyo BASIC without the 
video board. The numbers in the 
benchmarks do not tell the whole 
story, however. While changing from 
page to page or moving the cursor 
around the page in WordStar, the 
video-board version of this program 
runs much faster than the standard 

[continued) 



302 BYTE • JANUARY 1986 



AT A GLANCE 



Name 

Color Fox 

Type 

Enhanced Sanyo MBC-555 
with color monitor 

Company 

Scottsdale Systems Ltd. 
617 North Scottsdale Rd. #B 
Scottsdale, AZ 85257 
(602) 941-5856 

Size 

15 by 14V2 by 4% inches; 
21 pounds 

Components 

Processor: 8088 at 3.6 MHz 
Memory: 256K dynamic RAM 
standard 

Mass storage: Two TEAC 
FD-55F double-sided quad- 
density 5 1 /4-inch drives; 800K 
capacity per drive 
Display: NEC JC-1460DA 
color display; 13-inch 
diagonal screen; 80-column 
by 25-line text; 320 by 200 
graphics in IBM PC mode; 
640 by 200 without video 
RAM; 640 by 400 with 
monochrome monitor 
Keyboard: Detached QWERTY 
with five function keys and 
numeric pad 

Interfaces: Parallel printer 
port, monochrome and color 
RGB ports on both mother- 
board and video board 

Software 

HAGEN-DOS (similar to MS- 
DOS 2.11), Sanyo BASIC, GW- 
BASIC, WordStar, SpellStar; . 
MailMerge, InfoStar, CalcStar, 
Easywriter, Spell, Filebase, 
and Mail Track I 

Options 

RS-232C serial port 

Documentation 

Sanyo operator's guide, 
manuals for all software 
except GW-BASIC 

Price 

$1497 




MEMORY SIZE (K BYTES) 

200 400 600 800 



DISK STORAGE (K BYTES) 
1000 400 800 1200 1600 2000 













. 








II 























11 


• . 









BUNDLED SOFTWARE PACKAGES 

2 4 6 8 10 



PRICE ($ 1000) 

2 4 













: -m 


m 



















































n 











COLOR FOX [ . V | IBM PC ^^ APPLE HE 



The Memory Size graph shows the standard 
and optional memory for the computers under 
comparison. The Disk Storage graph shows the 
highest capacity of one and two floppy-disk 
drives for each system. The Bundled Software 
Packages graph shows the number of pack- 
ages included with each system. The Price 



graph shows the list price of a system with two 
high-capacity floppy-disk drives, a mono- 
chrome monitor, graphics and color-display 
capability, a printer port and a serial port, 256K 
bytes of memory (64K bytes for 8-bit systems), 
the standard operating system for the com- 
puters, and their standard BASIC interpreters, 



JANUARY 1986 'BYTE 303 





\ 




v 






e l 


**■= = 






B 


== ._ 


■ ■«. » • 












- 6 ■' 


»„ 


— #. • - 





The rear of the Silver Fox. An NEC color monitor distinguishes the 
Color Fox from the Silver Fox. Also, a twin-lead cable comes with 
the Color Fox to facilitate swapping between the RGB plugs on the 
motherboard and on the video RAM expansion board. 

DISK ACCESS IN BASIC (SEC) 
250 



200 



150 



100 



50 




WRITE 



SYSTEM UTILITIES (SEC) 



READ 




40K FORMAT/DISK COPY 40K FILE COPY 

\ T\ COLOR FOX WITH VIDEO BOARD 



In the Disk Access in BASIC graph, a 64K-byte sequential text file 
was written to a blank floppy disk and then read. (For the program 
listings, seethe June 1984 BYTE, page 327, and October 1984, page 
33.) In the BASIC Performance graph, the Sieve column shows how 
long it takes to run one iteration of the Sieve of Eratosthenes. The 
Calculations column shows how long it takes to do 10,000 multiplica- 
tion and 10,000 division operations using single-precision numbers. 
The System Utilities graph shows how long it takes to format and 
copy a disk (adjusted time for 40K bytes of disk data) and to transfer 




The inside of the Silver Fox. Notice the video RAM expansion board 
in the lower right corner. 



BASIC PERFORMANCE (SEC) 
250 




SIEVE 



SPREADSHEET (SEC) 
25 



CALCULATIONS 




LOAD 
COLOR FOX E;i;;&;jj IBM PC 



RECALCULATE 
APPLE HE 



a 40K-byte file using the system utilities. The Spreadsheet graph 
shows how long the computers take to load and recalculate a 25- 
by 25-cell Multiplan spreadsheet where each cell equals 1.001 times 
the cell to its left. The tests for the Color Fox with the video board 
were done with GW-BASIC; the Color Fox without the video board 
was tested with Sanyo BASIC. The tests for the Apple He were done 
with the ProDOS operating system (except for the spreadsheet test, 
which was done with DOS 3.3). The IBM PC was tested with PC- 
DOS 2.0. 



304 BYTE* I.ANUARY 1 986 



Inquiry 51 



REVIEW: COLOR FOX 



Sanyo version. This is because the 
video board can take advantage of 
direct video memory input/output, 
while the version of WordStar con- 
figured for the Sanyo or for the Color 
Fox without the video board enabled 
uses slower BIOS (basic input/output 
system) screen-scrolling routines to 
move through the text. 

Conclusion 

The Color Fox is an impressive pack- 
age of hardware and software offered 
at an attractive price. Scottsdale Sys- 
tems has taken a powerful yet inex- 
pensive system, the Sanyo MBC-55 5, 
and made it more powerful, more IBM 
PC-compatible, and added even more 
software in the bargain. 

The hardware enhancements that 
create the Color Fox from a Sanyo 
could be done by anyone. However, 
even if you bought the basic com- 
puter and the variouscomponents at 
bargain prices, you'd still end up pay- 
ing about $300 to $400 more for your 
system than for the Color Fox. 

On the negative side of things, the 
high-density disk drives are somewhat 
noisy, and the display quality leaves 
something to be desired, especially 
when using the video RAM board in 
text mode. 

The Color Fox comes with a limited 
one-year warranty from Scottsdale 
Systems. Easterners may not be com- 
fortable dealing with a. company 
located as far away as Arizona. They 
might prefer to do business with one 
just around the corner. However, as 
far as I know, Scottsdale Systems is 
the only place to go if you want to buy 
the Color Fox. The people I talked to 
there were courteous and knowledge- 
able. Also, the basic core of the Color 
Fox, the Sanyo MBC-555, has proven 
to be a rugged and reliable computer 
during the past year and a half. The 
owner of a Color Fox should have no 
trouble obtaining post-warranty ser- 
vice for the machine from one of the 
many dealers set up to work on the 
Sanyo. ■ 

Editor's note: For a review of the Sanyo 
MBG-550IMBC-555. seepage 270 of the 
August 1984 BYTE. 



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JANUARY 1986 -BYTE 305 



MAKE YOUR DECISIONS EASIER 



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Inquiry 251 



MS-DOS is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corp. 



IBM PC is the registered trademark of International Business Machines Corp. 



SOFTWARE REVIEW 



EC0-C88 C Compiler 



inexpensive 
MS-DOS 



C compiler 



by David D. Clark 



David D. Clark is a research 

chemist working at the Research and 

Development Center of the Colgate- 

Palmolive Company. He has a B.A. 

in chemistry from Indiana Central 

University and a Ph.D. in biological 

chemistry from the University of 

Nebraska. He can be reached at 

126 Birchview Dr.. Piscataway. 

NI 08854. 



In the spring of 1983 I noticed adver- 
tisements for a new C compiler for Z80 
CP/M systems. I had a couple of C sub- 
set compilers at that time but wanted one 
that could perform floating-point arithmetic. 
That summer I purchased Eco-C version 
1.51. I was rather disappointed with it as I 
indicated in a BYTE review (see "TWo More 
Versions of C for CP/M," May 1984, page 
246). Since I wrote that review, Ecosoft has 
made substantial improvements to the 
product. It became so good that I bought 
additional copies for my place of work and 
now recommend it without reservation. 

Since the original review, I have purchased 
a Zenith Z-150 IBM PC-compatible com- 
puter. I saw that Ecosoft developed a ver- 
sion of its compiler for MS-DOS systems, 
but at $2 50 it was more than I could afford. 
When Ecosoft announced the new price of 
$49.95, I placed my order. 

USING ECO-C88 

Installing the compiler is easy. The batch- 
processing files supplied on the two dis- 
tribution disks perform the installation auto- 
matically. There are two versions: IN- 
STALLF.BAT for systems with two 360Kbyte 
floppy-disk drives and INSTALLH.BAT for 
systems with a hard disk. The installation 
process is different from the sequence de- 
scribed in the user's manual because of a 
change in file sizes; it is documented in a 
README file on one of the distribution 
disks. On a floppy-disk system, the compiler 
and library are placed on one disk, while 
the header files, cc utility, linker, and editor 
of your choice are placed on the other. On 
a hard disk, the files are distributed among 
several subdirectories. 

After installation is complete, you can 
create a C program using your own text 
editor. The full C syntax as defined in Ker- 
nighan and Ritchie (The C Programming Lan- 
guage by Brian W. Kernighan and Dennis M. 
Ritchie, Prentice-Hall, 1978) is supported, 
with the exception of bit fields and the 
#line macro preprocessor directive. Only 



the small memory model is supported, so 
programs contain a maximum of 64K bytes 
of code and 64K bytes of data. This is usual- 
ly more than adequate. (See the text box 
"Eco-C88: An Update" on page 314 for the 
latest information.) 

Compiling a program is simple; you type 
cc followed by the program name. The cc 
program is not actually part of the compiler 
proper. It is an auxiliary utility program that 
controls the flow of the compilation and ac- 
cepts several options to alter its normal ac- 
tions. One pleasant feature is the presence 
of a simple make command. For those not 
familiar with a UNIX version of the utility, 
the make command takes care of the com- 
piling and linking of files that make up a pro- 
gram. It will only recompile those modules 
that have been altered since the last time 
you ran the program. The cc utility is also 
provided in source form, so you can 
customize it to fit particular system con- 
figurations. | Editor's note: The cc utility requires 
DOS 2.21 or higher to run] 

The cc utility makes automatic operation 
of the compiler convenient, but it is pos- 
sible to individually invoke each of the com- 
piler's passes. These passes consist of the 
preprocessor (XREXE), parser (XC.EXE), 
optimizer (XOREXE), code generator 
(XM.EXE), and assembler (XASM.EXE). An 
error pass (CE.EXE) is called automatical- 
ly if one of the other passes detects an 
error. The compiler's output is an .OBJ-type 
object module that you must then link with 
routines from the library to produce an ex- 
ecutable .EXE file. Although there is a 
separate assembler pass, it does not accept 
a human-readable text file as input. All com- 
munication between the separate parts of 
the compiler is accomplished by reading 
and writing data files (*.cwk) that are auto- 
matically created and erased as the pro- 
grams run. 

Error handling is performed just as it is 
in the Z80 version of the compiler, and it's 
one of my biggest gripes. If the compiler 

[continued) 



IANUARY 1986 



IYTE 307 



REVIEW: ECO-C88 



AT A GLANCE 



Name 

Eco-C88 1.55 

Company 

Ecosoft Inc. 

6413 North College Ave. 
Indianapolis, IN 46220 
(317) 255-6476 

Necessary Hardware 

MS-DOS 2.0 (or higher) 8088-based 
computer with 256K bytes of memory and 
two 360K-byte floppy-disk drives or one 
floppy-disk and one hard-disk drive 

Documentation 

92-page loose-leaf user's manual in a slip- 
cover binder 

Price 

$49.95 



detects an error in the preprocessor, 
it informs you of what occurred but 
not always of where. For example, if 
it detects an unclosed comment, the 
compiler tells you that it is on the last 
line of the file and that a comment is 
not closed. It gives you no idea of 
where the offending comment starts. 
The only solution I have found is to 
place dummy #include directives in 
the file and see how many the com- 
piler includes. If the parser detects an 
error, it falls into one of two general 
types: a warning or a fatal error. When 
this occurs, the line number character 
number in the line, and offending 
token are displayed as well as the 
error message. The line numbers do 
not seem to be particularly reliable, 
however. I have had two succeeding 
errors with different tokens report 
identical positions in the file. Further- 
more, I can't find either with a text 
editor. The compiler continues 



through multiple warnings, but com- 
pilation stops after detection of a 
single fatal error. 

The manual describes the com- 
piler's operation with the cc program 
quite well but contains little descrip- 
tion of how to use the individual pro- 
grams that make up the compiler 
itself. 'IWo compiler command-line op- 
tions, h and d, are mentioned, but the 
manual does not state their purposes. 
From reading the source text for the 
cc program, you can deduce that the 
h command tells the compiler which 
directory to search for header files. 
The d option enables you to do a 
"command-line define," meaning you 
can define a symbol to the compiler 
from the command line. This would 
be useful for switching on or off con- 
ditionally compiled debugging code 
in the program. Although it is not 
mentioned in the manual, the com- 

[continued] 



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308 BYTE • JANUARY 1986 



Inquiry I7l 



AT&T presents maxims for better international communication. 





ometimes, it's better 
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JANUARY 1986 -BYTE 309 



REVIEW: ECOC88 



piler accepts an n command-line op- 
tion to disallow the use of nested 
comments in the source text. 

The Library 

The library is included in object form 
only, but the source is available at 
extra cost ($15 according to the 
manual, $10 when I ordered). The 
library contains all the standard 
library routines you would expect 
after reading Kernighan and Ritchie. 
Additional groups of routines are for 
operating-system-dependent func- 
tions, terminal handling, and IBM- 
specific video routines. The library oc- 
cupies about 1 50K bytes of disk space 
and, unlike the Z80 version, consists 
of only one file. 

The floating-point routines can use 
an 8087 numeric coprocessor if one 
is available. If not, the software 
emulates the coprocessor's opera- 
tions. The compiler determines the 
coprocessor's presence or absence 
by examining the value of an external 

variable, 8087. You can use this 

variable to force software emulation 
by setting it to FALSE. The software 
emulation insures that systems with 
and without the coprocessor will ob- 
tain the same results from a series of 
calculations. 

An object-only version of the ISAM 
(indexed sequential-access method) 
functions is also available for $15. 

Benchmarks 

I used six benchmark programs when 
evaluating Eco-C88. Several are pre- 
sented in listings I through 5; the 
results are summarized in table I . For 
these evaluations, I used a Zenith 
Z-150, an IBM PC-compatible com- 
puter with 3 2 OK bytes of memory and 
two 360K-byte double-sided double- 
density floppy-disk drives. I per- 
formed compilations using the cc pro- 
gram previously described and the 
-nl command-line option to prevent 
automatic linking. I did linking by in- 
voking the MS-DOS linker manually. 
I did all timing by hand using a stop 
watch and took the average of three 
measurements. File sizes are those 
given by the MS-DOS command DIR. 
The Empty program in listing 1 pro- 



Table 1: A summary of the benchmark results in seconds. All timing was done 
by hand. The measurements recorded are an average of three. The 
compile/assemble times were most variable and seemed to depend on the history of 
file operations on the disk. 



Size 

962 bytes 
7894 bytes 
7876 bytes 
7896 bytes 
8760 bytes 
14,577 bytes 



Program 


Compile/Assemble 


Link 


Exe 


Empty 


59 


26 


— 


Sieve 


63 


71 


11 


Fib 


67 


68 


43 


Deref 


65 


66 


10 


Factor 


70 


73 


18 


Savage 


61 


108 


449 



Listing l : The Empty benchmark tests for the system overhead required to 
create any program regardless of its useful content. 



empty.c — benchmark to get compile, assemble, link, and library 
overhead 



*/ 

main() 

{ 

} 



Listing 2: A corrected version of the Deref benchmark program, which examines 
the speed of pointer dereferencing. 



r 



deref.c — benchmark program to examine the efficiency 
of pointer dereferencing 



*/ 



#define LOOPS (unsigned) 50000 



/* how many loops */ 



#define BELL 

struct cptrf { 
char ** 

}; 

main() 

{ 

unsigned i; 
char yekdorb; 
struct cptrl * * 



/* ASCII bell character */ 
************ ptr1 . 



******* ********* 'pointer; 
printf("°/ou loops \ n", LOOPS); 

for (i = 0; i <= LOOPS; i+ +) 

yekdorb = *************** 

printf("°/ocfinished\n", BELL); 
exit(0); 



* pointer). ptrl; 



310 B YTE • JANUARY 1986 



REVIEW: ECO-C88 



Listing 3: The Factor benchmark tests the implementation of long ints. It uses 
the Pollard rho algorithm to find a factor of a large integer. 



factor.c — a long integer benchmark in C 



#include 



"stdio.h" 



#define BIGNMBR 1394761 



/* 1181*1181, number to be factored 



long p, x, y, cnt; 

/* 

gcd — return the greatest common divisor of a and b 
7 

long gcd(a, b) 
long a, b; 

{ * 
long q, r; 

if (b < 0) 

b - -b; 
if (a < 0) 

a = -a; 
if (a > 0) 

{ 

b = b % a; 

if (b = = 0) 

r = 0; 
else 

r = 1; 
while (r > 0) 



q = a/b; 
r = a - q*b; 
a = b; 
b = r; 



} 

} 

return (a); 



main() 



puts("Factoring... M ); 
p = BIGNMBR; 

cnt = 0; 

x = 3; 

y = 3; 

while (gcd(y - x, p) < 2) 

{ 

cnt+ + ; /* Pascal or Modula can use Succ or INC */ 

x = (x*x + 2) % p; 

y = (y*y + 2) °/o p; 

y - (y*y + 2) % p; /* no, this is not a mistake 

} 

printf("A factor of °/old is °/old \ n", p, gcd(y - x, p)); 
printf("lt took °/old iterations \n\n", cnt); 



On a system that 
uses floppy disks, most 
of the time involved 
in compiling small 
programs is used 
by disk input/output 



vides an estimate of the overhead re- 
quired just to compile and link a pro- 
gram and the minimum memory nec- 
essary to create an executable file 
regardless of its useful content. The 
results in table I lend support to the 
conclusion that, at least on a floppy- 
disk-based system, most of the time 
involved in compiling small programs 
is used by disk I/O (input/output). 

The Sieve of Eratosthenes is the 
high-level-language benchmark for 
microcomputers. It uses an algorithm 
to find all the prime numbers between 
3 and 16,381. 

The Fib program calculates a series 
of Fibonacci numbers using a highly 
recursive algorithm. Because of the 
recursive function calls, this program 
gives a good estimate of how well a 
particular language implementation 
performs function calls. (Listings for 
the Sieve and Fib programs appear in 
May 1984 BYTE, pages 2 50 and 2 52, 
or you can download them from 
BYTEnet Listings at (617) 861-9764.) 

When I wrote the review of Eco-C's 
CP/M version, I was new to C. 1 heard 
that pointers were an important part 
of the language and wanted to write 
a benchmark that could discern dif- 
ferences in the dereferencing of 
pointer variables. The result is the 
Deref benchmark in listing 2. Since 
the appearance of the first review, 
others have pointed out to me that 
the original program has a flaw. The 
error was in the declaration of 

#define LOOPS 50000 

My intention was that LOOPS be an 

[continued) 



JANUARY 1986 'BYTE 311 



REVIEW: ECOC88 



unsigned integer. However, in the 
body of the program, that 50000 
should be interpreted by compilers as 
a long int. If the declaration had de- 
fined LOOPS as a hexadecimal C3 50 
or as an octal value, the listing would 
have been fine. However, according to 
Appendix A of Kernighan and Ritchie, 
a decimal number greater than the 
largest positive integer should be in- 
terpreted as a long integer. This 



causes problems for some compilers 
with the printf statement at the end 
of the program. Some compilers work 
because of the way the standard 
library is implemented. C subset com- 
pilers generally have no difficulties, 
since they usually do not implement 
long integers. 

In order to fix the program, you can 
simply replace the statement in ques- 
tion with 



#define LOOPS 
50000 



(unsigned) 



Listing 4: The Savage floating-point benchmark. The program tests the speed 
and accuracy of floating-point calculations. 



* * savage. c — floating point speed and accuracy test. C version 

* * derived from BASIC version that appeared in Dr. Dobb's Journal, 
** September 1983, pages 120-122. 

V 

#define ILOOP 2500 

extern double tan(), atan(), exp(), log(), sqrt(); 

main() 

{ 

int i; 
double a; 

pri ntf(" start \ n"); 

a = 1.0; 

for (i = 1; i <= (ILOOP- 1); i++) 

a = tan(atan(exp(log(sqrt(a*a))))) + 1.0; 

printf ("a = /o20.14e\ n", a); 

printf("done\ n"); 



Listing 5: This apparently innocuous Fopentst program will never run correctly, 
even if the correct file is present in the default directory, because of the register 
handling used by Eco-C88. 



/* 



fopentst. c — test the operation of the fopen() function 
"stdio.h" 



*/ 
#include 



mainf) 

{ 

FILE *fp; 



if ((fp = fopen(' WTEXT.TXT", "w")) = = 

{ 

puts("Can't open MYTEXT.TXT \ n"); 
exit(-1); 



NULL) 



putsf'Successfully opened MYTEXT.TXT \ n"); 



Eco-C88 compiled and worked cor- 
rectly with both versions. The version 
with the cast to unsigned produced 
a slightly smaller program that ran 
substantially faster. 

Most compilers that fail to make it 
through this program do so because 
of the depth of indirection. It has 
been argued that there is no practical 
analog for such a construct in a pro- 
gram and that the proposed ANSI C 
standard will require only six levels of 
indirection. That might be true, but 
the syntax summary of the language 
in Kernighan and Ritchie specifies that 
indirection can be of any depth. In my 
opinion, the program is flawed on 
aesthetic grounds since what is 
pointed to through all those levels of 
indirection is a random byte of mem- 
ory. If someone can devise a bench- 
mark that has such a high proportion 
of dereferencing operations and is 
more practical, I'd like to hear about it. 

The Factor program in listing 3 tests 
the efficiency of the implementation 
of long integers. It is based on a 
Pascal program by Richard E. Crandall 
(Pascal Applications for Sciences, John 
Wiley & Sons, 1983). It uses the 
Pollard rho algorithm to find factors 
of large numbers. 

The program operates under the 
assumption that the number is indeed 
factorable. If given a prime number to 
operate on, the program will not 
return. The choice of BIGNMBR is ar- 
bitrary. It gives an easily measurable 
execution time. The program uses 
many of the arithmetic operators as 
well as long function parameters and 
function-return values. It gives a fair- 
ly well rounded indication of the effi- 
ciency with which long integers are 
implemented in a language. 

The Savage program in listing 4 tests 
the speed and accuracy of floating- 
point calculations. This is a C version 
of a program originally proposed by 
Bill Savage in the September 1983 
issue of Dr. Dobb's \ournal (" 16-Bit Soft- 
ware Toolbox" by Ray Duncan, page 
120). The correct result for the pro- 

[continued) 



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JANUARY I9S6 -BYTE 313 



REVIEW: ECO-C88 



The Eco-C88 compiler 
is rather strict in 
its adherence to 
the C language as 
defined by Kernighan 
and Ritchie. 



gram is 2 500. When I ran the pro- 
gram, it printed a final value of 
2.49999999968640E3, or an error of 
about one part in a billion. From the 
results in table I, it would appear that 
Eco-C88 is rather slow. This is not en- 
tirely true. As I've mentioned, the soft- 
ware floating-point routines emulate 
the 8087 coprocessor. This means 
that doubles are 8-byte quantities 
with a dynamic range of about 
+/-10 308 . That means you can 
calculate a number as large as 170 
factorial without overflow. The other 
point to note is the accuracy main- 
tained while calculating transcenden- 
tal functions. Many implementations 
will only approximate such functions 
to six or seven significant digits. 
From past tests of MS-DOS C com- 



pilers, the results for the comparable 
benchmarks seem to show that Eco- 
C88 is one of the fastest and produces 
relatively compact code. A possible 
exception is in the area of floating- 
point calculations where the software 
emulation of the 8087 might cost the 
compiler in speed. I am not aware of 
any directly comparable results for 
the long-integer benchmark, but I 
would say that performance in this 
area is quite adequate. The difference 
between the 16-bit MS-DOS version 
of the compiler and its 8-bit counter- 
part is quite pronounced, even 
though the 8-bit version is the fastest 
I have tested. 

Another interesting point is that, al- 
though the Empty benchmark pro- 
duced a code file of less than IK byte, 
if you write a program that actually 
does anything, it requires a minimum 
of about 8K bytes. Overhead is about 
I minute due to disk thrashing on a 
floppy-based system. 

Consider the Fopentst program in 
listing 5. It looks perfectly legal. As a 
matter of fact, it will compile and link 
without error. However, it will never 
be able to open the file, even if it is 
present in the default directory. The 
fopenQ function is declared as a func- 
tion returning a pointer to a variable 
of type FILE in the source code for 
the library functions. It is that way on 



Eco-C88: An Update 



Since the evaluation of Eco-C88 by 
David D. Clark, Ecosoft has made 
a number of revisions to its C compiler. 
The version now available is 2.81, as 
opposed to the 1.55 version reviewed. 
The C library has been split into three 
separate libraries to provide support 
as needed. These files are ECOC.L1B 
(standard C functions). ECOTL1B 
(transcendental math support), and 
ECOM.LIB (expanded memory sup- 
port). The standard library, ECOC.L1B, 
has more functions, such as fgetc and 
fputc. The memory library, ECOM.LIB, 
lets you address outside of 64K bytes 
of data memory, but it does not sup- 
port large models. 



The cc utility has more options, 
some that are documented in a new 
manual, some in a README.DOC file. 

The -a option, where supplied to the 
cc utility or the assembler-pass module 
XASM.EXE, produces human-readable 
assembly-code files. The MS-DOS as- 
sembler, MASM, can read these files. 

Error messages can be directed to an 
output file using the -e< filename > 
option, and the line numbers for the 
error messages are accurate. In addi- 
tion, enumerated data typing is sup- 
ported. 

A paperback book has replaced the 
loose-leaf binder for the new Eco-C88 
manual. 



almost all compilers. However, in the 
program listing, the type of the return 
value for the function is not declared 
and the compiler correctly assumes 
it to be of type int. The problem oc- 
curs because of the way Eco-C88 
allocates registers: All return values of 
type int are returned in the AX 
register. All pointers are returned in 
the BX register. In order to get the 
program to work, the declaration 

FILE *fopen(); 

must appear in the program or the 
return value gets lost. I should em- 
phasize that nothing is wrong with the 
way Eco-C88 handles this. It is good 
programming practice to make such 
declarations, but it is unusual. Han- 
dling register usage in this way prob- 
ably allows for certain speed and size 
optimizations not possible if pointer 
results were returned in the same reg- 
isters as char, int, and unsigned 
results. I first ran across this problem 
when porting programs compiled on 
UNIX, MS-DOS, and CP/M systems. 
Mention of this in the manual would 
have been helpful. 

Conclusion 

Eco-C88 is a high-quality package, 
particularly at its new price. It is com- 
parable to systems costing much 
more. It is convenient to use, works 
well, and produces acceptably com- 
pact and fast programs. The compiler 
is rather strict in its adherence to the 
language as defined by Kernighan and 
Ritchie, almost authoritarian for a C 
compiler. 

A few elements do annoy me, most- 
ly in the area of compiler error han- 
dling. Also, because of the large 
number of passes involved, the com- 
piler spends a lot of time reading and 
writing disk files. It might be nice to 
be able to examine assembly-lan- 
guage output occasionally but I have 
not really missed it. You cannot easily 
use the system to create programs 
that manipulate huge amounts of data 
in memory because only the small 
memory model is supported, allowing 
64K-byte programs and 64K-byte data 
segments. However, all in all I am 
more than satisfied. ■ 



314 BYTE • JANUARY 1986 



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MATE, WORDSTAR, NOVELL, PC NET 

4 MEGABYTE EXPANDED MEMORY SPEC. Run 4 megabyte software conforming to the 
LOTUS/INTEL/MICROSOFT specif ication,with enhancements. SYMPHONY 1.1 has already been 
released and 1.2.3, FRAMEWORK and others are coming. 

MULTI-MEGABYTE, MMU PROTECTED RAM DISK. Run ALLDISKas large as you like with full 
assurance that it is fully hardware protected from inadvertent tampering by you, others, or 
programs with 'bugs'. 

FUTURE INDUSTRY EXTENDED MEMORY SPEC. Run higher performance software confor- 
ming to the future specification for machines equipped with MMU. IBM PC AT is IBM's first 
personal computer with MMU. With ALL CARD your PC and XT also have MMU. 

Full megabyte power means you can run all of the above either individually or together. And more. 
Provide Memory Management Unit (MMU) hardware for DOS/UNIX and other multitasking, 
multiuser and VM (Virtual Machines) operating systems of the future. 

IBM is a registered trademark of International Business Corporation. UNIX is a registered trademark of Bell Laboratories. 1-2 3. Symphony. Framework; APL; Topview; 
Above Board; AST; Sixpak. Quadboard, JRAM; INTEL, dBASE; Sidekick; Multilmk: Crosstalk; Turbo Pascal; C86, Multi-Mate. Wordstar; NOVELL. PC NET are 
trademarks of the respective companies. *VIJL CARD is a trademark of ALL Computers Inc. 



ONLY MJL CARD™ WITH 'MMU' FOR THE 
IBM PC, XT & COMPATIBLES DELIVERS 
FULL MEGABYTE POWER FOR SYMPHONY, 
1-2-3, FRAMEWORK, APL, TOPVIEW. . . 
ABOVE BOARD, AST.QUADRAM AND OTHERS 
WITH BS CANT DO IT IBM PC AT CANT DO IT 



Memory is the single most important part of a computer. A faster CPU can save you 
minutes, but more memory can save you hours. More memory consolidates multiple jobs 
and spreadsheets into a single run. The result is the job is simpler to design, faster to run, 
and much less error prone. Picking the right method to expand memory is vital to the 
future life of your PC. This is what the industry is saying about 'MMU' and Bank- Switching . . . 

PC Magazine— May 14, 1985 

££ Several industry leaders have echoed. . . concern that (Bank-Switching) is only a 
stop gap measure on the way to full use of... on chip memory management 
(MMU). PC Magazine shares that concern." 

PC Week— April 16, 1985 

££ MMU, a function that controls how memory is addressed, is more sophisticated 
mm than Bank-Switching techniques" 

PC Magazine— June 1 1, 1985 

CC SP rin 9 COMDEX The introduction of a memory expansion card (ALLCARD) 

■■ with full memory management facilities for 4 megabytes of on-board PC RAM 
was one of the more exciting of these developments" 

" (ALLComputers Inc.) seems to have stolen a march on the major board 

makers" 

Personal Computing— August, 1985 

££ Alone and away from the din over Bank-Switching technology. ... a four 

megabyte, multifunction board (ALL CARD) that allows almost all software to 
utilize its memory right out of the box." 

There is clearly only one way of the future— full memory management! In the past, Bank- 
Switching was obsoleted by MMU with mainframes and again with minicomputers— and 
now with personal computers. ALL CARDgives you the bestof both worlds— Bank-Switching 
and MMU. ALLCARD stands alone with its proprietary MMU CHIP for the IBM PC. It alone 
can run 1 times as many packages and run them faster. It alone can be plugged into a 64K, 
640K or even a 2MB PC and run concurrent combinations of 1MB DOS (MMU), 4MB LOTUS/ 
INTEL/MICROSOFT spec. (Bank-Switching) and RAM DISK Only ALL CARD gives you 
974,848 bytes total memory for DOS— type A>CHKDSK on your PC and compare. 
ALL CARD is your best choice by far. 

SPECIAL $100 OFFER 

Buy the ALLCARD AT1/M with 256Kfor$895 or AT 1 for $445 and foran additional 
$1 00 get your card populated with a full megabyte. Offer is limited. Act now! Order your 
ALL CARD today. 

Inquiry 1 3 

ALL Computers Inc. 



102 BloorSt., W.,12th Floor, 
TORONTO, CANADA M5S 1 M9. 



(41 6) 960-01 1 1 TELEX 06-986766 




The world's best selling monochrome 
graphics card for the IBM PC. 



There are more Hercules™ 
Graphics Cards in more IBM® 
PCs, XTs and ATs than any 
other monochrome graphics 
card in the world. 

Over a quarter of a million 
demanding users around the 
world use a Hercules Graphics 
Card to improve the perfor- 
mance of their software. 
The Lotus® 1-2-3® Booster. 

Consider Lotus 1-2-3. 
Hercules gives an off-the-shelf 
copy of 1-2-3 
the highest 
resolution 
I possible 

: -' " ~'" i on an IBM 

PC, XT or AT. More 1-2-3 
users choose the Hercules 
Graphics Card to get crisper 
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than any other monochrome 
graphics card. 

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But we don't stop there. 
The Hercules Graphics Card 




improves all kinds of software. 

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offers features normally asso- 
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And we supply free soft- 
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to do hi-res graph- 
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State-Of-The-Art Hardware. 

The Hercules Graphics 
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parallel printer port. Our 
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? to your monitor. 
State-of-the-art 
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Address: 2550 Ninth St.. Berkeley, CA 94710 Ph: 415 540-6000 Telex: 754063. Trademarks/Owners: Hercules, Graph X/Hercules; 1-2-3, Symphony/Lotus; IBM, XT, 
AT/IBM; Framework/ Ashton-Tate; SuperCalc/Sorcim-IUS; Microsoft/Microsoft; pfs:/Software Publ; AutoCAD/AutoDesk. Printer cable offer expires February 28, 1986. 
Good only in U.S.A., offer subject to change without notice. 



318 B YTE • JANUARY 1986 



Inquiry 156 




HARDWARE REVIEW 



Inside The Sider 



by Douglas E. Hall 



A hsrH^Hisk F^jKT^ run m V own business as a micro- 
— rs, uaiu luarv computer consultant for nonprofit 

driVG -~* organizations, it was clear that 1 

would need a hard disk for storing my word- 

lOr the processing, spreadsheet, database, and pro- 

~ \ ~ ~ gram files, which filled more than 40 flop- 

Apple 11+ , lie Py disks 

A mailer I received from First Class Pe- 
ripherals advertised a 10-megabyte hard- 
disk system for Apple II computers. Called 
The Sider, it sold for only $695. Not only 
was the price right, but the company of- 
fered a 1 5-day trial period during which I 
could return it with no questions asked. 
That seemed unprecedented for a piece of 
sophisticated computer equipment. 

The disk drive is about the size of a shoe- 
box, measuring 7.5 by 3.5 by 16 inches. The 
well-padded package from First Class con- 
tained the drive, interface board, installation 
manual, cable, installation software, and 
miscellaneous hardware. 



Installing the Hardware 

Although I have degrees in electrical engi- 
neering and once designed and wire- 
wrapped my own homebrew computer, that 
background was not adequate to help me 
determine the difference between an 
"anchor screw" and a "retaining screw," 
both of which were involved in installing the 
cable-clamp assembly to the back of my 
Apple lie. First Class could have made the 
task easier by including a few more dia- 
grams of hardware-installation steps in the 
manual. It would also help to have a 
diagram showing and naming each part and 
noting whether it is for the Apple II + , lie, 
or both. Nevertheless, within 45 minutes I 
had the hardware connected. When the 
computer and disk were plugged in and 
turned on, the drive began to hum, and I 
figured I had at least approximated the cor- 
rect cable installation. 

INSTALLING OPERATING SYSTEMS 

The Sider is partitioned to hold up to four 
operating systems: DOS 3.3, Pascal, Pro- 



Douglas E. Hall has B.S. and M.S. 

degrees in electrical engineering from 

Stanford University. He currently 

runs his own microcomputer 

consulting business. He can be 

contacted at MicroCraft, lane Road. 

Chichester. NH 03263. 



DOS, and CP/M. You have to decide on the 
amount of disk space you want to set aside 
for each system, however, and then follow 
the step-by-step procedures in the manual. 
I installed only DOS 3.3 and CP/M. The 
"dynamic partitioning screen" for dividing 
the disk into sections for each operating 
system was confusing to use. Eventually it 
became clear that I had to adjust ProDOS 
for maximum partition size (even though I 
didn't need it at all) as a step along the way 
to dividing up the disk into CP/M and DOS 
3.3 areas. That didn't make a lot of sense 
to me, but that's the way it had to be done. 

In contrast to the Davong 15-megabyte 
hard disk, which I had used for nearly two 
years earlier, The Sider requires the entire 
disk to be partitioned during installation. 
You are not allowed to leave part of the disk 
undesignated as to operating system and 
assign it later when your actual need for 
space becomes more apparent. This forces 
you to make better estimates as to your 
space needs and could possibly cause 
problems later. In my case, if I decide next 
month that I want to install Pascal, there will 
be no hard-disk space available for Pascal 
files even though I may have lots of unused 
CP/M space. The only solution is to reparti- 
tion the disk, install the operating system 
again, and then restore all the files to the 
disk from backup floppy disks. It would have 
been better to allow some of the disk space 
to remain unassigned until needed. 

Once I had partitioned the disk, my next 
step was to break each partition into 
volumes as desired. Again the manual was 
not very satisfactory. It stated that "DOS is 
divided into small volumes (DOS-SV) and 
large volumes (DOS-LV)," without indicating 
what the actual sizes or limitations on use 
were for either. After I had guessed at what 
I might need, I was ready to format the disk 
and install my operating systems. I followed 
the manual meticulously and all went well. 
That isn't to say I understood all that was 
happening. For example, during the process 

[continued] 



JANUARY 1986 'BYTE 319 



REVIEW: THE SIDER 



AT A GLANCE 



Name 

The Sider 

Type 

10-megabyte external hard disk with 
controller card for Apple II + , lie 

Company 

First Class Peripherals Inc. 
3579 Highway 50 East 
Carson City, NV 89701 
(800) 538-1307 
(702) 883-4000 in Nevada 

Size 

7.5 by 3.5 by 16 inches; 11 pounds 

Necessary Hardware 

Apple II + or He with one floppy-disk drive, 
monitor, and 64K RAM 

Necessary Software 

One or more operating systems (DOS 3.3, 
CP/M, Pascal, or ProDOS) 

Features 

10 megabytes of formatted storage 

Options 

A second Sider can be daisy-chained 

Documentation 

53-page installation manual 

Price 

$595 



a lot of screens appeared with infor- 
mation on "Pre Comp Cycle." "Con- 
trol Byte," "Interleave," "DOS Bounds," 
and other items meaningless to me. 
The manual explains these screens by 
saying, "A series of screens describ- 
ing the boundaries of each partition 
are displayed next." It would seem to 
me that if these screens are important 
or useful enough to appear at all, then 
some explanation should be pro- 
vided. If they are not useful to the 
user, then why display them? 

After an hour, I had completed the 
software installation. I turned every- 
thing off and rebooted. The Sider 
worked perfectly. The main menu ap- 
peared on my screen and I was able 
to drop into CP/M or DOS or run a 
program from either a floppy-disk 
drive or from The Sider. 

Utility Programs 

The Sider manual lists, but does not 
explain, the various utility programs 
that are provided. It seemed logical 
to me to use the Backup/Restore utili- 
ty to copy my floppy-disk volumes 
and files onto the hard disk. I couldn't 
get it to work; it kept telling me that 
my floppy disks were not "library 
volumes." The manual contains not a 
hint about what this utility expects. 
A call to First Class Peripherals' toll- 
free telephone number resulted in a 
discussion with a technician who said 
that he was not sure of the purpose 
of the Backup/Restore utility. He sug- 



gested that I use a different utility 
called Image Copy. He stated that First 
Class is preparing a user's manual to 
supplement the installation manual, 
that people who had bought The 
Sider would eventually receive a copy, 
but that no date had been set for its 
release. He also stated that he had on- 
ly a handwritten set of engineering 
notes to use in assisting callers ex- 
periencing problems. 

I used Image Copy and it worked 
well. It took 48 seconds to copy a 
140K-byte DOS 3.3 floppy disk to a 
similar volume on the hard disk. 
(Don't make the mistake of using 
Image Copy in place of Apple's 
COPYA program to copy one floppy 
disk to another, however. COPYA re- 
quires 1 minute 28 seconds to com- 
plete that task; Image Copy requires 
more than 20 minutes.) 

One especially handy utility is the 
Hard Disk Catalog. It automatically 
catalogs each DOS volume on the 
hard disk in sequence. It is extremely 
helpful in searching for a particular 
DOS 3.3 file. The program as provided 
was written in Applesoft, so I was able 
to make a simple modification to send 
the catalogs to the printer as well as 
to the screen. 

One utility The Sider lacks is an im- 
port/export utility, which allows you to 
copy a file from one operating system 
to another. I need this to move text 
files from CP/M, where they were 

[continued] 




Photo I: Front view of The Sider hard- 
disk drive. 



Photo 2: Rear view shows extra connection 
for daisy-chaining. 



320 B YTE • JANUARY 1986 



Contemporary 
Electronics Series 



Trial Examination Order Form 

YES! I'm interested in learning contemporary electronics and would like to examine the 
first module in the series. If I decide to keep it, I will pay just $ 19.95 plus $2.25 shipping 
and handling. I will then receive f uturemodules automatically, one every 4 to 6 weeks. 
Each of the 15 modules in theseries is $19.95 plus$2.25 shippingand handling and 
comes on the same 15-day Free Examination basis. There is no minimum number of 
modules that I must buy and I may cancel at any time simply by notifying you. 

If I do not choose to keep the first module, I will return all materials in good condition 
and pay nothing. Future modules will be canceled and I will be under no further 
obligation. 




Name 




Street 


Please Print 


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Phone Number < ) 





All orders subject to approval and payable in U.S. funds only. Available in U.S. 
and Canada only. Add first class stamp and mail today! 



Covers every subject of 
modern electronics 

• Digital logic 

• Digital gates (TTL, CMOS, 
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' Robotics 2080-016 



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3939 Wisconsin Ave. 
Washington, D.C. 20016 




JANUARY 1986 'BYTE 321 



REVIEW: THE SIDER 



created with dBASE II, to Apple DOS, 
where they will be used in a mail- 
merge routine. I'd pay $50 for such a 
utility. Is anybody at First Class 
listening? 

Noise 

One final complaint: noise. This prob- 
lem is not unique to The Sider, of 
course. All hard disks have some 
noise. But The Sider is not among the 
quietest of hard disks. I often find 
myself turning it off so I can hear 
myself think. Without some special 
noise insulation, it would be distract- 
ing in any office setting. 

Speed 

The Sider does its job. I've used it to 
rapidly create large database files for 
dBASE II under CP/M, which is some- 
thing that was not possible with my 
floppy disks. The measurements that 
are given in table I show a corn- 



Table I: Benchmark comparisons for The Sider hard-disk system and Apple's 
DuoDisk floppy-disk system. (See the June 1984 BYTE, pages 334 and 336, 
for details.) The benchmark programs were written in Applesoft BASIC. 
They were executed on an Apple We running DOS 3.3 and having 128K bytes 
of memory. 



Write a 64K-byte file 
Read a 64K-byte file 
Copy a 40K-byte file 



The Sider 

2:43 

3:03 

:31 



Apple DuoDisk 

3:04 
3:35 
1:32 



parison of access times for floppy 
disks and The Sider. 

Conclusion 

I give The Sider an A for price, per- 
formance, and ease of use; a C for 
ease of setup; a D for documentation 
(at least until the user's manual is 
released); and an A for First Class's 
policy of 15-day return and one-year 
warranty 



1 have necessarily dwelt on the 
problems I see with The Sider. But the 
best summary of my evaluation is the 
answer to the question, "Did I return 
The Sider to First Class at the end of 
the 15-day free trial period for the 
promised full refund?" Definitely not. 
For the very attractive price of $695, 
I am willing to live with The Sider's 
limitations. | Editor's note: The price has 
since fallen to $595.| ■ 




The WYSEpc is truly IBM PC compatible. It runs 
over 350 software packages. Even the acid tests - 
Lotus 1-2-3 and Flight Simulator - run beautifully. 

TRADEMARKS- WYSEpc: Wyse Technology. IBM, IBM PC, XT : 
International Business Machines Corporation. Lotus, Lotus 1-2-3: 
Lotus Development Corp. Flight Simulator: Microsoft Corp. 



The IBM-compatible WYSEpc 
gives you more features for less. 

Buy, lease or rent from MTI at great prices. 

Wyse includes features that others price as options. 
Each model of the WYSEpc comes as a complete 
package with nothing else to buy. 

The basic system includes the processor unit with 
256K RAM, two 5V4" diskette drives of 356K each 
(IBM format), keyboard, display adapter, 14" tilt/ 
swivel monitor, two serial ports and a parallel port. 
It also includes the MS-DOS 2.11 operating system, 
GW-BASIC, and a complete set of manuals. 

The floppy disk controller, display adapter, and the 
three I/O ports are incorporated in a single-board 
design. This allows you two additional IBM-compat- 
ible option slots. 

There's also an IBM PC/XT compatible model with 
a 10-Megabyte Winchester and color graphics option. 

MTI is an authorized distributor for Wyse, so we can 
meet your needs in a timely fashion. Call MTI today. 



MTI SYSTEMS CORP. 

A SUBSIDIARY OF DUCOMMUN INCORPORATED 




N.Y.: 



N.J.: 
Pa.: 



212/226-2337 
516/621-6200 
518/449-5959 
201/227-5552 
412/931-9351 



Ohio: 
El.: 
Ky.: 
Cal.: 



216/464-6688 
312/773-2300 
502/499-6656 
818/883-7633 
714/220-6487 



Or call: 800/645-6530 



322 B YTE • JANUARY 1986 



Inquiry 254 




THE 

GREAT ESCAPE! 

FROM IVORY TOWERS AND 
COLD COMPUTER ROOMS TO 
THE WARMTH OF YOUR OFFICE. 

Artificial intelligence for business 
has arrived in a revolutionary new 
product . , . Guru. 

At last, artificial intelligence designed espe- 
cially for business! Guru brings together expert 
system capabilities of artificial intelligence, 
the productivity of familiar business computing 
tools and the ease of communicating with 
your computer using menus, commands or plain 
English. All available in a single, integrated 
program. 

Guru works like human experts, considering 
uncertainties, reasoning through forward 
and backward chaining, asking for more infor- 
mation when needed, and explaining its 
recommendations. 

Guru's expert system works hand-in-hand 
with all the familiar business computing tools 
like spreadsheets, statistical analysis, business 
graphics and a programming language, always 
available for both expert consultation and your 
everyday business computing needs. 

Best of all, you won't need to learn LISP or 
PROLOG or buy fancy computers . . . Guru runs 
on your PC and communicates in plain English! 
Guru is artificial intelligence that means business. 

For more information, call or write Micro Data 
Base Systems, Inc./Marketing & Sales, P.O. Box 
248, Lafayette, IN, 47902, 317/463-2581, Telex 
209147 ISEUR. 



ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE THAT MEANS BUSINESS. 



Inquiry 4I5 



mobs 



mdbs is a registered trademark and Guru is a trademark of Micro Data Base Systems, Inc., P.O. Box 248, Lafayette, IN, 47902 ■ 



\\* 



& ^ocetfan% r 




324 BYTE • JANUARY 1986 



Avocet turns an ordinary PC 
into an extraordinary 
development system. 

And saves you $20,000 
in the process. 



Now, there's a way to see all your 
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' Trademark of Digital Research 




** Trademark of Microsoft 








emulators and EPROM program- 
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New AVSIM family 

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Avocet's new software simulator/ 
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Price $299. 

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AVPROM programmers 
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AVOCET /X 
SYSTEMS INC! 



Inquiry 28 



JANUARY 1986 -BYTE 325 



All too often, brand-name CPUs are "bundled 1 ' 
with mediocre peripherals— a practice that makes 
for profitable sales, but does nothing for the 
system's performance. 

In Japan, where most computer peripherals are 
actually built, NEC is the largest personal computer 
company— by far. And NEC didn't make it to first 
place by offering second rate peripherals, 



The monitors with 
the broadcast video heritage. 

While dozens of companies market display 
monitors, only a handful possess the tube 
technology and manufacturing capability to actually 
build them. NEC is one of the few. In fact, NEC's 
complete line of color and monochrome monitors 
reflects the professional and broadcast video 



expertise that twice earned NEC Emmy Awards 
from the National Academy of Television Arts & 
Sciences. 



Winning the printer race 
takes both speed and endurance. 

Ask people who really know about printers, and 
they'll tell you that NEC builds the best. They may 
also point out that NEC builds printers for other 
computer companies. And if you ask them to 
choose one word to sum up what makes NEC 
printers stand out, it will probably be "reliable." This 
is why NEC has become the printer of choice for the 
most demanding installations. 

So before you buy a peripheral from any name 
company, make sure the company puts more into 
the peripheral than just its name. 



PC-PR105A IBM PC PLUG COMPATIBLE 
TRI-MODE DOT MATRIX PRINTER 



^k-pM9 5R 




NEC 



NEC Home Electronics (U.S.A.) Inc. 

Personal Computer Division 

1401 Estes Avenue 

Elk Grove Village, IL 60007 

312-228-5900 




Inquiry 264 




HARDWARE REVIEW 



Add-on 



memory and 

I/O ports 

for the IBM 

PC AT 



BY TJ BYERS 



Advantage* for the AT 



TJ Byers is the author of numerous 
books and articles on computers. His 
latest book is Inside the IBM PC 
AT (McGraw-Hill). You can contact 
him at 9411 Soledad Canyon Rd.. 
Canyon Country. CA 913 51, 



The architecture of the IBM PC AT's 
16-bit-wide bus, although similar to 
that of the 8-bit-wide IBM PC bus, 
is different enough that standard IBM PC 
cards are not compatible with the AT in 
most cases. Consequently, a new generation 
of IBM enhancement products has been de- 
veloped for this machine. 

One of the more versatile multifunction 
boards for the AT is Advantage! from AST 
Research (see photo 1). Advantage!, which 
is among the first of the third-party products 
for the AT to appear on the market, closely 
resembles AST's SixPakPlus multifunction 
board for the IBM PC. Of course, there are 
differences. 

First you will notice that the AST clock/ 
calendar is absent. Since the PC AT has an 
internal clock and calendar, AST has not 
duplicated it. Second, you can load the Ad- 
vantage! with almost 10 times as much 
RAM (random-access read/write memory) 
as a SixPakPlus. 

Extra memory is really what the Advan- 
tage! is all about. The board's minimum 
memory configuration is 128K bytes of 
RAM, enough to take an enhanced IBM PC 
AT with 512 K bytes of memory up to the 
machine's lower limit of 640K bytes. (The PC 
AT can use 640K bytes of RAM in its 
1 -megabyte real-address-mode address 
space.) 

But the IBM PC AT doesn't stop there, and 
neither does the Advantage! multifunction 
board. Using the AT's protected-mode 
memory configuration, Advantage! can con- 
tain up to 1.5 megabytes of RAM. This is 
extended RAM that resides above the nor- 
mal I megabyte of real-address-mode 
memory-address space that the AT uses for 
routine operation. You can use this 
protected-mode memory space for RAM 
disks such as the IBM PC-DOS 3.0 VDISK 
utility or for multiuser operating systems like 
IBM's XENIX package. 

If that isn't enough RAM for your needs, 
Advantage! accommodates a special piggy- 
back memory module that attaches to the 



board itself and extends the total on-board 
memory to 3 megabytes. This means that 
you can add a full 3 megabytes of RAM to 
your IBM PC AT while using a single expan- 
sion slot. Cascading more Advantage! 
boards, up to a maximum of five, results in 
1 5 megabytes of protected-mode memory 
(the maximum the machine will accept). 
Furthermore, Advantage! offers several 
other memory-expansion options to meet 
your goal. You can choose either 64K-bit or 
2 56K-bit RAM chips for maximum flexibili- 
ty when upgrading your system's memory. 

Memory-Addressing Capability 

Memory addressing, the function of Advan- 
tage! that designates where extra memory 
appears in the machine's address space, is 
also flexible. The total on-board memory 
can be split to fill space in both the base 
(real-address-mode) memory system and 
the protected-mode memory area. 

In other words, if your AT has 2 56K bytes 
of base memory and you add a I.5-mega- 
byte Advantage! board to your system, you 
can choose to put all 1.5 megabytes in the 
protected-memory area and leave the base 
memory alone. This decision results in a 
machine with 2 56K bytes of base RAM and 
1 . 5 megabytes of extended memory for use 
as a RAM disk or for multiuser functions. 

Or you can split the extra memory be- 
tween the two modes. Through the use of 
DIP (dual in-line package) switches, you can 
fully load the base memory by sectioning 
off 384K bytes of the 1.5 megabytes for use 
as base memory. The maximum base RAM 
is 640K bytes of the assigned 1 -megabyte 
address space (in this case, 2 56K original 
bytes plus 384K bytes added by address- 
ing the Advantage! board). This leaves 
1 1 1 6K bytes, or 1.116 megabytes, for use as 
protected-mode memory. 

Communications Ports 

The Advantage! multifunction board also 
contains a serial communications port and 

[continued) 



JANUARY 1986 • BYTE 327 



REVIEW: ADVANTAGE! 



AT A GLANCE 



Name 

Advantage! 

Company 

AST Research Inc. 
2121 Alton Ave 
Irvine, CA 92714 
(714) 863-1333 

Computer 

IBM PC AT 

Features 

Memory expandable to 1.5 megabytes 
on-board, memory expandable to 3 
megabytes on-board with piggyback 
module; split memory-addressing capability; 
uses 64K- or 256K-bit memory chips; 
parallel printer port, serial RS-232C 
asynchronous port, and optional second 
serial port and game port 

Documentation 

75-page user's manual, tabbed function 
identification 

Price 

128K bytes of memory and 

serial/parallel ports $595 

3 megabytes of memory with 

piggyback board and 

serial/parallel ports $2395 




Photo I: The AST Advantage! multifunction board for the IBM PC AT, 
showing sockets for up to 1.5 megabytes of RAM, memory-address DIP switches, 
and parallel-port, serial-port, and game-port connectors. Note the rows of vertical 
pins in front of the RAM socket area and immediately above the printed-circuit 
fingers: these are for connecting the optional add-on 1. 5 -megabyte piggyback 
RAM board. 



a parallel communications port. The 
serial port is an RS-232C-compatible 
asynchronous communications port 
that you can use to provide a link be- 
tween the AT and a modem, serial 
printer, mouse, or other serial device. 
Unlike on the IBM PC, which uses the 
industry-standard 25-pin DB-2 5 con- 
nector, Advantage!^ RS-232C port is 
interfaced via the 9-pin DB-9 connec- 
tor that IBM is using as its new 
RS-232C standard. A second asyn- 
chronous serial port is offered as an 
option. 

The parallel printer port is also stan- 
dard on the Advantage! board. It per- 
forms exactly like any IBM parallel 
printer port, such as the one that 
comes on the IBM monochrome 
monitor, and can be used in conjunc- 
tion with the AT's existing parallel 
port. The IBM PC AT can support 
three parallel ports, and you can con- 
figure Advantage! to respond to two 
of the three assigned addresses. 

As a final option, you can install a 
game port. The game port is totally 
software-compatible with the IBM 
game adapter and you can use it with 
most joysticks. Due to a problem in 
the diagnostic program that accom- 
panied some of the earlier AT ma- 



chines, the port might not always 
show up on the listing of installed 
devices. This causes no problem in 
the use of the game port, so ignore it. 

Documentation 

Probably Advantagel's best feature is 
its documentation. It is clear, concise, 
and to the point. AST has broken 
down the operation of each function 
into a separate and extremely man- 
ageable chapter. The text is not over- 
whelming and the manual is well il- 
lustrated. The user's manual includes 
four appendixes that contain all pos- 
sible switch settings and actual pro- 
grams to modify or improve system 
performance. This is a welcome and 
noticeable improvement over some 
manuals I have used. 

Priced at $595, Advantage! is a 
good buy with plenty of capability. Of 
course, prices increase as the number 
of memory chips you use increases, 
but that's to be expected. Advantage! 
lives up to everything it promises. I 
have used the Advantage! board for 
RAM disks and as extended memory 
with the XENIX operating system, and 
the results have been excellent. I 
highly recommend it for the serious 
AT user. ■ 



328 BYTE • JANUARY 1986 



TEK 



2200 SERIES 

PORTABLE OSCILLOSCOPES 



THE ANSWER 
BY ANY MEASURE 



You can't judge a scope 
by its cover. 







When you look at our simplified, 
practical internal design, you 
see why the Tek 2200 Series 
delivers unparalleled high 
performance and reliability in 
the field. You get quality that's 
unmistakably Tektronix in scopes 
so advanced, they cost you less 
to buy and own. 

Through an innovative new con- 
cept in scope design we reduced 
the number of mechanical parts 
by 65%. Reduced cabling by 
90%. Virtually eliminated board 
electrical connectors. And elimi- 
nated the need for a cooling fan. 

The result: a scope with 
designed-in simplicity that 
increases reliability as it cuts 
downtime and repair costs. All of 
which means outstanding value in 



a compact, lightweight package 
that your service technicians will 
appreciate. 

Plus, you get a selection of per- 
formance to precisely match your 
needs. There are the 60 MHz 
single time base delay 221 3A at 
$1275* and the 60 MHz dual 
time base 221 5A at $1525* And at 
100 MHz, the dual time base 
2235 at $1750* and the 2236 
with an integrated counter/timer/ 
multimeter at $2650* 

The industry's first three-year 
warranty! is testimony to 2200 
Series dependability. Adding 
value to value are a variety 
of optional service plans that can 
economically extend this cover- 
age to five years. 

Consider what you're paying 



now in downtime, in service, in 
back-up scopes. On the bottom 
line, a Tek 2200 Series scope will 
save you money, time and trouble 
now and in the years to come. 

Contact your Tek Sales 
Engineer for a demo today. Or 
call 1-800-426-2200, Ext. 201. 
In Oregon, call collect: 
(503)627-9000, Ext. 201. 




'Prices F.O.B. Beaverton, Oregon 

t3-year warranty includes CRT and applies to 2200 

family oscilloscopes purchased after 1/1/83. Scopes 

are UL listed, CSA and VDE approved. 

Copyright © 1985, Tektronix, Inc. All rights reserved. TTA-517-1 
Prices subject to change. 



Tektronix 

COMMITTED TO EXCELLENCE 

Inquiry 351 



25Q000 customers made 
usdoilTheWYSEpc. 

We established a precedent on better than 250,000 desktops with our terminals. So when our 
customers got ready to include PCs in their plans, they didn't think they should have to settle for 
less thanWyse style, performance and economy. 

We agree. And now you can get the WYSEpc with IBM compatibility in hardware, 
software and expandability. We've thoroughly tested more than 350 software packages and acces- 
sories. It runs even the acid tests — Lotus 1-2-3 and Flight Simulator— in beautiful Wyse style. 

Our price includes dual floppy drives, monochrome 14" tilt/swivel monitor, height- 
adjustable keyboard, 256K RAM, two serial ports, one parallel port, MS-DOS with 
GW-BASIC- and more. 

There's also an IBM PC/XT compatible model with a 10-Megabyte Winchester disk. 
A color graphics option is available on either model. 

For more information about how much less all this costs from Wyse, call toll-free, today. 

WYSE 



Inquiry 388 



CaI1800-GET-WYSE 





SOFTWARE REVIEW 



Powerful 

but not 

quite ready 

and able 



by Steve King 



Enable 



Steve King is a program analyst for 

the state of California and a part- 

time writer and consultant. When 

not working with computers, he 

enjoys equestrian activities. He can 

be reached at 17 62 5 Rancho de 

Oro. Ramona, CA 92065. 



Enable, a $69 5 integrated software 
package from The Software Group, 
would appear to be ideal for certain 
applications on the IBM Personal Computer. 
Imagine, for example, writing a guide to 
restaurants and restrooms in your area. You 
could use Enable's word processor to write 
the text for the guide, its database manager 
to assemble the data, its spreadsheet to 
track the associated expenses and income 
of the project, and its communications 
module to transmit the finished manuscript 
to the typesetter. Throughout the project, 
Enable's window-management capabilities 
would apparently let you easily keep an eye 
on all these functions. You could even use 
Enable to prepare some charts and insert 
these into the text. 

Unfortunately, an actual test of the soft- 
ware with such a project revealed several 
deficiencies in Enable. Of course, I used ver- 
sion 1.0. After I wrote this article, The Soft- 
ware Group released Enable 1.1, which is 
said to include some enhancements. No 
doubt this new version will fix many of the 
deficiencies I found. In the meantime, I will 
report on the software as I, and perhaps 
many customers, received it. | Editor's note: The 
new version of Enable does indeed fix many of these 
deficiencies. See the text box ,x Enable 1.1" on page 
334 for some notes on the new version] 

Enable 1.0 comes on three disks: a system 
disk, an operation disk, and a tutorial/data 
disk (the new version comes on four disks). 
I evaluated the program with a Compaq 
Deskpro containing 640K bytes of RAM 
(random-access read/write memory) and 
two floppy-disk drives. Since Enable re- 
quires frequent disk swapping on a floppy- 
disk system, I recommend using a hard disk. 
By the time I finished this review, I was quite 
burned out by Enable, partially because of 
so much disk swapping. Not only do the 
program's 'many overlay files require fre- 
quent disk changes, but The Software 
Group also employs a copy-protection 
scheme that checks drive A occasionally to 
verify the presence of a bona fide system 



disk, even if you're running Enable from a 
hard disk. Fortunately, the new version of 
Enable is not copy-protected. 

Enable's maintenance plan, which in- 
cludes toll-free telephone support and free 
updates for a period of one year, costs $95. 

In addition to a spiral-bound manual for 
each of its five modules (word processor, 
spreadsheet, database manager, communi- 
cations, and overall system control), a 
getting-started booklet, a quick-reference 
guide, and a small binder of helpful hints, 
Enable comes with a large keyboard overlay 
that gives the word-processing and tele- 
communications commands on one side 
and the spreadsheet and database-manage- 
ment commands on the other. The Software 
Group has written all the documentation as 
a tutorial, which makes it difficult when you 
just want to look up something, even 
though the manuals contain extensive 
indexes. 

Integration and Control 

When you first start Enable, you proceed 
through a series of menus to your desired 
function. The software creates a border that 
displays messages. This border limits the 
display to a 78-column width. 

Enable boots into the Master Control 
Module (MCM), which integrates Enable's 
functions. The MCM also controls window- 
ing, file handling, extensive macro capabil- 
ities, and a profile of the hardware in your 
system. 

The MCM duplicates most of the operat- 
ing-system file-manipulation commands. 
The module lets you select, copy, rename, 
and erase files from a single menu. How- 
ever, the MCM doesn't display files that 
were not created by Enable. The MCM also 
prevents you from accidentally erasing 
Enable's system files. 

After you choose a profile, the MCM lets 
you select one of the four applications 
modules: word processing, spreadsheet/ 
graphics, telecommunications (Telecom), 

[continued] 



JANUARY 1986 -BYTE 331 



REVIEW: ENABLE 



AT A GLANCE 



Name 

Enable 1.0 

Type 

Integrated software package 

Company 

The Software Group 
Northway 10, Executive Park 
Ballston Lake, NY 12019 
(518) 877-8600 

Format 

Three 5 1 /4-inch double-sided floppy disks, 
MS-DOS 2.0 format 

Computer 

IBM PC or compatible with at least 256K 
bytes of memory and two floppy-disk 
drives; hard-disk drive suggested 

Features 

Word processing, spreadsheet, database 
management, graphics, windows, macros, 
communications, context-sensitive help 

Documentation 

Five 7- by 9-inch spiral-bound manuals, 
approximately 150 pages each, three 
pamphlets, and one keyboard overlay 

Price 

$695 



and database-management system 
(DBMS)/graphics. Then it helps you 
choose the file you wish to process. 
If you don't remember a file's name, 
enter a question mark and the MCM 
takes you to the file-control menu. To 
select the file you want, move the cur- 
sor to it and press the enter key. 

The Software Group gave Enables 
MCM impressive macro capabilities 
(the ability to execute stored keystroke 
sequences, including data entry and 
commands). You can tell Enable to 
record keystrokes for playback later 
or, once you have learned Enable's 
macro language, you can create 
macro files with the word processor. 
The Enable disks contain extensive 
tutorials that impressively demon- 
strate use of the macro powers. 

Word Processing 

I tried Enable's word-processing func- 
tion first and it almost soured me on 
the rest of the program. When the 
word processor starts up, you must 
set your document margins each time 
you start a new file. 

Next Enable assumes you want a 
title page for every new document 
you create. However, you can move 
the cursor down past the title page 
and start entering your text. You can 
also type the key sequence F9-0-N-T 
to delete the title page. 

The series of keystrokes necessary 
to delete the title page typifies one of 
Enable's big problems: In general, the 
commands are too complicated and 
require too much moving about the 
keyboard for easy learning. For exam- 
ple, F2 with the up-arrow and P keys 
takes you to the beginning of a para- 
graph; F2-P takes you to the end. 
Most cursor commands start with F2; 
most text-manipulation commands 
begin with F9. 

You can also access most text-ma- 
nipulation commands from a series of 
menus that the software displays at 
the top of the screen when you press 
F10. Since you can't access all com- 
mands (such as the title-page com- 
mand) from the menus, you must fre- 
quently refer to the keyboard overlay 
or the manuals. The overlay is printed 
in very small type and contains rather 



cryptic explanations. It was frequent- 
ly difficult to locate the keystroke se- 
quence I wanted. Usually I resorted 
to thumbing the pages of the quick- 
reference guide. 

Since the menu command se- 
quences are not similar to the key- 
board command sequences, the 
menus do not help you learn the key- 
board commands. In fact I found that 
this dissimilarity impeded my learn- 
ing process. For example, when insert- 
ing a page break from the menus, you 
press FI0-L-4; when using keyboard 
commands, you press F9-Ins-M-P. The 
Software Group should take a lesson 
from Mark of the Unicorn and use the 
same keystroke sequence for menu 
and keyboard command entry. Mark 
of the U nicorn's The Final Word brings 
up a menu if you pause after the com- 
mand-initializing keystroke or lets you 
enter the command uninterrupted if 
you know the correct keystroke 
sequence. 

Despite its clumsy, confusing com- 
mand structure, the Enable word pro- 
cessor contains almost the same 
"capabilities you'd find in The Final 
Word, WordPerfect, or WordStar 2000. 
This program can create headers and 
footers, tables of contents, indexes, 
and footnotes. The Enable word pro- 
cessor also has a mail-merge function 
and can perform extensive boilerplate 
text manipulation using MCM macros. 

However, I had several reformatting 
problems when I edited my text. The 
program refused to move a small 
block of words from one place on a 
line to another place on that same 
line. 

Sometimes when I deleted or 
moved a block of text, the software 
left two spaces in the place from 
which the block came. Since I couldn't 
persuade Enable to delete either of 
the spaces, I was left with two spaces 
between the remaining words. 

If I inserted words into the middle 
of a sentence, thus forcing the end- 
of-sentence mark (usually a period) 
and the two spaces before the next 
sentence to wrap to the next line, the 
software dropped one of the two 
spaces. I had to manually reinsert 

{continued) 



332 BYTE • JANUARY 1986 



Want to hear 

a demonstration of 

Hewlett-Packard's 

Thinkjet Printer? 



REVIEW: ENABLE 



another space to maintain the proper 
distance between sentences. 

The word processor uses its own 
format for storing files on disks, but 
it can also store files in ASCII, 
Volks writer, EasyWriter, and WordStar 
file formats. Enable is also supposed 



to be able to read those other for- 
mats. However, when I tried to get 
Enable to read the BYTE standard 
word-processor benchmark file, a 
40-paragraph ASCII file, it would read 
only the first line. I used a public- 
domain utility to convert the bench- 



Enable 1.1 



by Rich Malloy 



The new version of Enable corrects 
many, but not all. of the deficien- 
cies reported by Steve King. 

Enable now comes on four floppy 
disks (utility system, operation, and 
tutorial/data) that you must frequently 
swap in and out of disk drive A. All the 
disks are copyable. but an Install 
routine mentioned in the manual does 
not seem to work. Also, the disk-swap 
prompt is an irritating sound. 

The new word processor can now 
handle text lines longer than 78 col- 
umns (up to approximately 160 col- 
umns), lb help you set margins, a small 
window in the screen's lower right 
corner indicates which column the cur- 
sor is in. Also, if a reformatting opera- 
tion leaves an extra space between 
words, you can delete the extra space 
with the Del key. You can turn off the 
automatic creation of a title page for 
each new document by changing your 
system profile. Finally Enable can read 
ASCII files fairly easily. 

The database manager can now 
easily merge data files. 

The updated spreadsheet offers vari- 
able formats from 2 56 rows by 2 56 col- 
umns to 4095 rows by 1 5 columns. The 
spreadsheet can also easily read and 
recalculate Lotus 1-2-3 worksheets. 

The telecommunications module 
now lets you set up a wide range of 
communications parameters. It also 
can do simple auto-log-on procedures. 
However, this module still has a few 
simple problems. For example, it stores 
your desired parameters on the utility 
disk, but the operation disk looks for 
these parameters on your data disk. 

Some items were not mentioned by 
Steve King. Enable does not currently 
support printers made by Star Micron- 
ics. C. Itoh, or Mannesmann TSlly. No 
provision lets you modify Enable for 



additional unsupported printers. When 
I set up Enable for an Epson MX-80, 
connected an IBM PC to a Star 
Micronics Gemini printer, and told the 
system to print, it locked up ir- 
retrievably. 

The word processor seems to con- 
tain other shortcomings. Copying a 
block of text seems to cause some 
paragraph indentation in the block to 
be lost. And for some reason, the 
backspace key functions as a reverse 
space bar; it blanks out the character 
to the left but does not delete the 
space. You can change this to a nor- 
mal backspace function by adjusting 
your system profile, but the backspace 
key sometimes reverts to its default 
behavior for no apparent reason. 

Finally, in the system-profile section, 
you apparently cannot change that 
part of your system profile that refers 
to your modem. 

After a brief test. I would judge the 
updated product to be much closer to 
its advertised claims than the version 
used by Steve King. Note that because 
of the extensive disk swapping re- 
quired. I would discourage Enable's 
use on floppy-disk systems. Also, like 
Mr. King, I would have preferred that 
the publisher had made Enable's menu 
and command sequences identical. 
Finally some procedures, such as In- 
stall and the one to set up a particular 
modem, do not seem to work. 

All in all, on a hard-disk system and 
for certain applications requiring 
several different functions, Enable ap- 
pears to be a viable, if somewhat idio- 
syncratic, product. 

Rich Malloy is the New York editor for BYTE. 
He can be reached at BYTE. McGraw-Hill 
43rd Floor, 1221 Avenue of the Americas, 
New York. NY 10020. 



mark file to WordStar format, but the 
Enable word processor still would 
read only the first paragraph of that 
format. 

Database Management 

Of Enable's functions, I found the 
database-management system and 
the spreadsheet to be the most 
logical and the easiest to use. The 
DBMS module contains almost all the 
capabilities of popular middleweight 
database managers such as dBASE II 
or Condor 3. However, Enable allows 
the use of, but not yet the merging of, 
multiple data files. Although the 
Enable DBMS module doesn't contain 
a built-in programming language, as 
dBASE II and Condor 3 do, the MCM's 
macro capabilities combined with 
Enable's report language let you 
design sophisticated data-manage- 
ment programs, such as general 
ledgers or inventory-control modules. 

The Enable DBMS can read dBASE 
II data files directly. Since The Soft- 
ware Group also provides a utility pro- 
gram, Convert, that translates ASCII- 
format data files to Enable format, the 
Enable DBMS can use files created by 
almost any other database program. 
I imported a 1260-record mailing list 
into Enable that Condor 3 had 
created. I simply told Condor 3 to 
store the file with fixed-length fields 
in ASCII format and then used Con- 
vert to finish the conversion process. 

Each record in an Enable database 
file can have up to 32 fields (like 
dBASE II and Condor 3) of entered 
data or up to 113 fields containing 
data that is derived or calculated from 
the entered data. However, each 
record is limited to 2000 characters. 

With Enable, you design a database 
with a series of menus that lets you 
specify the type and limits for each 
field. The software lets you specify an 
amazing number of details about the 
limitations for each field, including 
whether data is entered from the key- 
board, derived from another database 
or from another field, or copied from 
the operating system. 

Next, Enable helps you design the 
data-entry forms for each database. 

(continued) 



334 BYTE • JANUARY 1986 



t WSintto. „ 
hear it again? 

You made about as much noise turning the page as the 

Thinkjet Printer makes turning one out. 

So it lets you do two things at once. Print. And think. 

Without sound hoods. Without remote printing stations. 

Without aspirin. (And without a lot of clutter. The only thing 

smaller than the Thinkjet Printer is its price: $495?) 

Better still, it works with just about every personal computer. 

Hear the Thinkjet Printer sound off. 

Call (800) FOR-HPPC, Dept.276X, for the 

Hewlett-Packard dealer nearest you. 



m 



HEWLETT 
PACKARD 




*U.S. list price. PG02511 



fe 



SKIGRAPHICS. 

ONE KEYSTROKE TURNS 
LIFELESS DAIA... 



3W 



% 



K 






into vital statistics. 



Data. You live with it every day. 
What you need are the tools to make it 
come alive. Comprehensive analytical 
tools. Mathematical precision. And 
graphics capabilities to broaden your 
insights— to help you visualize, 
analyze, and communicate your find- 
ings quickly and convincingly. 

And now you've got it. With 
STATGRAPHICS-a new 
PLUS* WARE™ product from STSC. 
STATGRAPHICS is the only PC soft- 
ware to fully integrate a wide variety 
of statistical functions with high- 
resolution color graphics. Giving you 
the power and precision you used to 
find only with mainframe software. 

STATGRAPHICS' unique inter- 
active environment allows you to 
generate graphs from within the 
statistical procedures. You can change 
a variable and see the effect— im- 
mediately. So your job is easier and 
you're more productive. 



MORE OPTIONS FOR MORE 
COMPREHENSIVE ANALYSIS. 

STATGRAPHICS features over 
250 functions for analyzing data — 
including analysis of variance, regres- 
sion analysis, experimental design, 
quality control procedures, multivariate 
techniques, nonparametric methods, 
and extensive forecasting and time 
series analysis. 

It also lets you enter data at the 
keyboard or access data stored in 
standard ASCII files, LOTUS® 1-2-3 
worksheets, and DIF files used by 
other popular software packages. 

TELL A CLEARER, MORE 
DRAMATIC STORY. 

STATGRAPHICS includes a wide 
variety of graphics programs such as 
two and three-dimensional line and sur- 
face plots, bar and pie charts, 
histograms, time sequence plots, and 
quality control charts. 

The graphics are supported on 
color and monochrome graphics boards, 
dot-matrix printers, and pen plotters 
for presentation quality graphics. 



SOPHISTICATED STATGRAPHICS 

IS SURPRISINGLY SIMPLE 

TO USE. 

STATGRAPHICS is completely 
menu-driven, and includes a com- 
prehensive user's guide, online HELP 
screens, tutorial, and handy reference 
card. And STSC's HELP-Line is only a 
phone call away— giving you ready ac- 
cess to our staff of technical experts. 
TAKE A LOOK AT 
STATGRAPHICS. 
AND LOOK NO FURTHER. 

STATGRAPHICS is the most ad- 
vanced statistical graphics software 
available for PC's. And the complete 
system is just $695. 

To order STATGRAPHICS, or 
for more information, contact your 
local dealer or call 800-592-0050 (in 
Maryland, 301-984-5123). Or write 
STSC, Inc., 2115 E. Jefferson St., 
Rockville, MD 20852. Major credit 
cards accepted. 

Inquiry 340 



Problem-solving at the speed of thought. 

^^PJP^ STATGRAPHICS operates on IBM PC's and compatibles under DOS, Version 2.0 or later. A minimum of 384K RAM, a graphics adapter and compatible monitor, and two 
3^ | ^P^ double-sided disk drives or a hard disk are required. An 8087 math coprocessor and 512K RAM are recommended. 

a Contei Company STATGRAPHICS is a registered trademark of Statistical Graphics Corporation. PLUS * WARE is a trademark of STSC, Inc. LOTUS is a registered trademark of Lotus 
Development Corporation. 



Inquiry 312 



REVIEW: ENABLE 



While designing an entry form, you 
can access the word-processing 
module to add text enhancements 
that give instructions to the data-entry 
person. You can also specify a verifi- 
cation method that requires entering 
a particular field twice when accuracy 
is important. 

Finally, the DBMS module lets you 
design reports in almost the exact way 
that you design data-entry forms. 
However, The Software Group also 
has included a rudimentary program- 
ming language for creating reports in 
Enable. Using the word processor, 
you can construct a report with a 
series of dot commands (words pre- 
ceded by a period, or dot). The report 
language contains .if, .elseif. .else, 
.exit, and .endif commands to handle 
conditional situations. 

When you are not designing a new 
database, you can bypass the DBMS 
menu and enter direct commands to 
the software as you do when using 
the word-processing module. The F9 
key initiates these commands but, 
once again, no relationship exists be- 
tween the menu command sequence 
and the keyboard command se- 
quence. 

Spreadsheet 

Since I don't own Lotus 1-2-3, 1 bor- 
rowed a friend's copy for comparing 
it to the Enable spreadsheet. Enable's 
spreadsheet looks like 1-2-3 and has 
a similar command structure, but it of- 
fers a maximum worksheet size of 
only 2 55 rows by 2 5 5 columns. How- 
ever, my friend, who is much more of 
a spreadsheet expert than I am, 
believes Enable's spreadsheet size is 
more than adequate for most uses. 

Since I normally use the Report 
Manager spreadsheet from Datamen- 
sion (Northbrook, Illinois), which 
allows 2 56 pages of spreadsheets as 
well as 2 56 rows and 2 56 columns per 
page, 1 found both the Enable spread- 
sheet and 1-2-3 somewhat limiting. 
Report Manager's third dimension 
(pages) lets you generate multiple 
related spreadsheets, such as a 
budget page for each month of a year. 

The Software Group incorporated 

{continued) 





Inquiry 200 



JANUARY 1986 'BYTE 337 



BOX.OFFICEHIT. 





*0£ 






Most software companies would call it a stroke of luck if they designed 
a system so effective, it became the small business favorite. 

We call it a stroke of genius. 



McGRAW-HILL 
800-292CYMA 



Inquiry 187 



REVIEW: ENABLE 



most typical spreadsheet capabilities 
in Enable, such as range commands 
and global formatting. Enable also 
has many mathematical functions, in- 
cluding business functions (e.g.. amor- 
tization payments and internal rate of 
return), scientific functions (e.g., sine 
and cosine), and logical/conditional 
functions (e.g., choose, if, true, and 
false). The Enable 1 .0 spreadsheet can 
also save files in 1-2-3, VisiCalc, and 
DIF formats, but strangely enough 
cannot read files in those formats. 

Graphing 

Both the database and spreadsheet 
modules let you design graphics 
images on the video screen if your PC 
has graphics capabilities. 

Enable can create vertical bar 
graphs in two and three dimensions, 
as well as pie charts and line graphs. 
I found Enable's graphs much easier 
to format and print than those created 
by 1-2-3, Report Manager, and Con- 
dor Graf. You can design various levels 
of titles for graphs and embellish them 
with nine different fonts. 

Telecommunications 

Enables telecommunications module 
is its weakest point. It requires even 
more disk swapping than the others 
and has some severe bugs. For exam- 
ple, after you choose Iklecom from 
the main MCM menu, Enable lets you 
select Communicate or Setup. Setup 
supposedly lets you change com- 
munications parameters. When I tried 
to use Setup, however, the program 
beeped repeatedly and instructed me 
to insert the tutorial/data disk. Enable 
never accepted the disk asked for 
and, thus, never let me change the 
communications setup. 

1 did manage to convince Enable to 
communicate by using the Communi- 
cate selection to access the program's 
terminal mode. 1 called a bulletin- 
board system and tried to download 
a public-domain program using the 
XMODEM error-checking protocol. 
Unfortunately, after you tell Enable to 
receive a file using XMODEM, the 
program prompts you to swap a disk 
before it begins to receive the file. 

{continued) 

« — Inquiry 94 for End-Users. 

Inquiry 95 for DEALERS ONLY. 



WRITE TURBO PASCAL APPLICATIONS FAST 



WITH 



WfW ZEUS. 



TM 



Generate entire applications, 
including reports and menus, from 
start to finish with amazing speed. 

• 300 fields per logical screen, 4 
physical screens per logical screen. 

• Screens are compiled, not 
interpreted. 

• Predefined I/O types of String, 
Real, Integer, Phone and Date, User 
definable types, 

• Bullet-proof Data Entry. 

• Generates entire Database 
programs with Add, Change, 
Inquire, Delete and Backup 
functions predefined, 

• Includes algorithm (and uses) for 
a resident Binary Tree indexing for 
no wait lookups. Easy to change to 
other methods. 

Turbo Pascal is a trademark of Borland International 

PC-DOS is a trademark ot International Business Machines 

Corporation 

MS-DOS is a trademark of Microsoft Corporation 



• Generates easily modifiable code. 

• Completely menu driven. 

• Includes Database Generator, 
Report Generator, Menu Generator, 
and I/O Function Generator (to 
define additional I/O types similar to 
phone and data types, which are 
predefined). 

REQUIRES: Turbo Pascal and PC- 
DOS 2.0 or higher. Soon available 
'on MS-DOS. 

$59.95 unprotected (includes 
postage and handling only in U.S.) 
Georgia residents add 4% sales tax. 

CALL TOLL FREE 1-800-JMC-8667 
or 1-404-736-8265 

JMC Research, Inc. 

803 Eisenhower Drive 
Augusta, Georgia 30904 



69 



"So before Harris-Lanier showed up, 
your PCs wouldn } t share information?" 



"And now they're working 
together non-stop" 




FDR YOUR INFORMAOON, 
OUR NAME IS 




SHE 



For more details on how Harris-Lanier can get 
your PCs to share information, call 1-800-241-1706. 



HARRIS 



Inquiry 201 



JANUARY 1986 • BYTE 339 



MICROWAY'S 8087 RUNS 1-2-3™! 



MicroWay is the world's leading retail- 
er of 8087s and high performance PC 
upgrades. We stock a complete selec- 
tion of8087sthat run at 5 and 8mhz. All 
of ourcoprocessors are shipped with a 
diagnostic disk and the best warranty 
in the business - one year! We also 
offer daughterboards for socketless 
computers such as the NEC PC and 
PCjr, and a board which increases the 
clock speed of the 80287 from 4 to 8 
mhz. Our NUMBER SMASHER™ in- 
cludes 5 1 2K ram. It will run the IBM PC 
at clock speeds up to 10mhz and 
achieves a throughput of .1 megaflops 



with 87BASIC/INLINE, Intel Fortran, or 
Microsoft Fortran. Software reviewers 
consistently cite MicroWay software 
as the best in the industry! Our cus- 
tomers frequently write to thank us for 
recommending the correct software 
and hardware to meet their specific 
needs. They also thank us for our same 
day shipping! In addition to our own 
products which support the 8087 and 
80287, we stock the largest supply of 
specialized software available any- 
where. For information call us at 

61 7-746-7341 



FASTBREAK™. . . MicroWay's 
software turns on your 8087 during 1- 
2-3™ execution. Recalculations run up 
to 36 times faster. When used with the 
NUMBERSMASHER™itcanprovidea 
total increase in 1-2-3'" execution 
speed of up to 79 to 1. FASTBREAK 
providesyouwith the unique capability 
for running other programs on top of 1 - 
2-3. These programs can be written in 
BASIC, PASCAL, Fortran or C and can 
access the current values i n your 1 -2-3 

worksheet $79 

FASTBREAK & 

640K NUMBER SMASHER . . . $1099 













mtaM ] m^^.-^ 






nvtnEPr *4,t ' -"l * 




fell _ 


,. rf^swjrs tnritinrinrihhn 




ifci 

tia U4 ; 


JgH(09gpp|l3KIK!QKX< r i » w, <r, 






SPEED UP YOUR AT 
WITH 287TURBO " - i 


Jmhz 



Micro 
Way 



8087 Support 



NUMBER SMASHER" The World's Fast- 
est Accelerator Card for the IBM PC, XT, and Com- 
patibles! Includes an 8086 and 8087 pair tested 
to 10mhz, and 512K bytes of high speed ram. 
Compatible with all software, operating systems 
and hardware! Your program speed is increased 
by a factor of 2.5 to 4.0. Floating point programs 
run up to 2.8 times faster on the PC than on an 
80287 equipped PC AT $1 049 

MATRIXPAK™ manages a MEGABYTE! 

Written in assembly language, our runtime pac- 
kage accurately manipulates large matrices at 
very fast speeds. Includes matrix inversion and 
the solution of simultaneous linear equations. 
Callable from MS Fortran 3.3, 87MACRO, and 
87BASIC/INLINE each $1 50 

87FFT™ Written in assembly language, per- 
forms Forward and Inverse FFTs on real and com- 
plex arrays which occupy up to 51 2K bytes of 
RAM. Also does convolutions, auto correlations, 
hamming, complex vector multiplication, and com- 
plex to radial conversions. Callable from MS For- 
tran, 87 MACRO, C, TURBO PASCAL or 
87BASIC/INLINE $200 

87FFT-2™ performs two-dimensional FFTs. 
Ideal for image processing Requires 87FFT $1 00 

GRAPHICS PACKAGES 

Grafmatic for Fortran or Pascal $1 25 

Plotmatic for Grafmatic. $1 25 

MultiHalo (one language) $1 89 

DFixer™ - Eliminates the AT hard disk pro- 
blem! A disk which thoroughly checks PC or AT 
hard disks for bad sectors and updates the MS 
DOS file allocation table accordingly $1 49 

EPSILON™ - our favorite in-house editor lets 
you simultaneously edit up to 11 source files and 
concurrently run a compiler or linker. A real 
timesaver! $1 85 



For the IBM PC, PC XT, 

87B ASIC/ 1 N LI N E™ converts the output of 
the IBM Basic Compiler into optimized 8087 
inline code which executes up to seven times fas- 
ter than 87BASIC. Supports separately compiled 
inline subroutines which are located in their own 
segments and can contain up to 64K bytes of 
code. This allows programs greater than 128K! 
Requires the IBM Basic Compiler and Macro 
Assembler. Includes 87BASIC $200 

87 BASIC™ includes patches to the IBM Basic 
Compiler and both runtime libraries for USER 
TRANSPARENT 8087 support Provides super 
fast performance for all numeric operations in- 
cluding trigonometries, transcendentals, addition, 
subtraction, multiplication, and division $150 

87MACRO/DEBUG™ contains all the 
pieces needed for writing 8087/80287 assembly 
code including 8087 macros, object libraries for 
commonly used functions, including transcen- 
dentals, trigonometries and conversions between 
strings and real numbers. Our 87DEBUG com- 
pletes the package $1 99 

OBJ —'ASM™ - a multipass object module 
translator and disassembler. Produces assembly 
language listings which include public symbols, 
external symbols, and labels commented with 
cross references Ideal for patching object mod- 
ules for which source is not available $200 

RTOS - REALTIME OPERATING SYSTEM 

RTOS is a multi-user, multi-tasking real time oper- 
ating system. It includes a configured version of 
Intel's iRMX-86, LINK-86, LOC-86, LIB-86, OH-86, 
and MicroWay's 87DEBUG. Runs on the IBM-PC, 
XT, PC-AT and COMPAQ $400 

INTEL COMPILERS 1 

FORTRAN-86 $750 

PASCAL-86 $750 

PL/M-86 $500 

ASM-86 $200 

Requires RTOS or iRMX-86. All Intel compiler names and 
iRMX-86 TM Intel Corp. 



European Customers: Please call MicroWay in London at 01-223-7662. 



Micro 
May 



P.O. Box 79 
Kingston, Masa 
02364 USA 
(617)746-7341 



The World Leader 
in 8087 Support! 



PC AT and Compatibles. 
8087 5mhz $109 

Including DIAGNOSTICS and one-year warranty 
For IBM PC and compatibles. 

8087-3 5mhz $175 

For the Tandy 1 200. 

8087-2 8mhz $175 

For Wang, AT&T, DeskPro, NEC, Leading Edge. 

80287-3 5mhz $199 

For the IBM PC AT and Compaq DeskPro 286. 

287Turbo™ 8 mhz $395 

With Reset Button and Diagnostics. 

64KRAMSet $8 

256 K RAM Set $29 

256K CMOS RAM Set $39 

128KRAM Set pc at $89 

AST Boards call 

JRAM-2™(0K) $169 

JRAM™AT(0K) $229 

JRAM-3™(128K) $275 

INTEL ABOVE BOARD call 

FORTRAN, C and BASIC 

Microsoft Fortran Version 3.3 $229 

IBM Professional Fortran 545 

Ryan-McFarland Fortran 399 

FORLIB+ or STRINGS and THINGS 65 

Lattice C or Microsoft C Version 3.0 299 

FLOAT87 1 50 

I BM Basic Compiler Version 2.0 445 

Microsoft Quick Basic 89 

Summit BetterBASIC" 1 75 

True Basic 1 05 

MACROASSEMBLERS 

IBM Assembler with Librarian V. 2.0 1 55 

Microsoft Assembler Version 3.01 1 25 

PASCAL and APL 

Microsoft Pascal Version 3.3 1 99 

Borland Turbo with 8087 Support 85 

STSC APL*PLUS/PC 450 

STATGRAPHICS 595 

COSMOS Revelation 750 

Phoenix Plink86 295 

SPSS/PC 595 

FASTBREAK and NUMBER SMASHER are trademarks of 
MicroWay, Inc Lotus and 1-2-3 are trademarks of Lotus Devel- 
opment Corp. 



340 BYTE • JANUARY 1986 



Inquiry 208 



REVIEW: ENABLE 



After it has received the file, Enable 
prompts you for another disk swap 
before it returns to the terminal mode. 
After three attempts, the public- 
domain program I downloaded would 
not run. Yet, when I downloaded the 
same program with another commu- 
nications package, the public-domain 
software worked properly. 

A Test 

To put Enable to a good test, I used 
a data-entry-and-report form that my 
coworkers and I designed for collect- 
ing restaurant and restroom data in 
our area for use in a "restaurant and 
restroom survival manual." I original- 
ly designed two similar databases, 
one for restaurants and one for rest- 
rooms. But after some experimenting, 
I learned that the menu command 
allowing the merging of two data- 
bases was not yet implemented. So, 
1 entered both types of facilities into 
a single database, using a true/false 
conditional field to differentiate be- 
tween a restaurant and a restroom. 

Next, I spent about 1 2 hours enter- 
ing the data for the survival manual. 
Then I used the Enable word pro- 
cessor for several more hours to write 
a witty preface. Finally, with the 
Enable word-processing module run- 
ning and the preface on the screen, 
I pressed F10 to access the program's 
command menu. It offered me a 
number of choices. I chose DBMS to 
integrate the restaurant and restroom 
database with my text. That's when 
Enable told me: "Function will be 
available in first Enable update." 

Of course, maybe it was my own 
fault. I hadn't read anything about 
using that particular menu command 
in any of the manuals. Fortunately, the 
documentation did offer another 
method for combining the two files. 

Following the manual's instructions, 
I rebooted the word processor with 
the preface text. With the MCM, I 
switched windows and ran the data- 
base module. I used the display com- 
mand to access my database. It 
showed the database on the screen 
with each record occupying one line. 
However, if a database were to con- 

[continued) 



What's 
in a Name... 



BetterBASIC"' i s just what i t sounds like. Better than the BASIC you got with 
your PC. What's better about it? Just about everything. 



FAST 

Programs run fast. Each line of code is compiled as 
it is entered into memory. 

BIG 

Break the 64K barrier. Use the full memory of your PC 
to write big programs. 

POWERFUL 

Windows and graphics, DOS and BIOS calls, 
chaining, overlays, local and global variables, 
recursion, and more. 



INTERACTIVE 

Responds to user commands in immediate mode. 
Structured 

Write structured programs using functions and 
procedures. 

MODULAR 

Create re-usable "library" modules for more efficient 
programming. Easy interface to assembly language. 



BetterBASIC Runtime System, 8087/80287 Math Module, and BTrieve"" Interface also available. Call 
Lifeboat about BetterBASIC and our extensive collection of professional development systems. 

Lifeboat and Lifeboat logo are trademarks of Lifeboat Associates. 

BetterBASIC, Runtime System, 8087/80287 Math Module and Btrieve Interface are trademarks of 

Summit Software Technology. 

For immediate delivery or more information, call; 
1 800-847 7078 In NY (212) 860-0300 

or write LIFEBOAT" ASSOCIATES 

1651 Third Avenue New York, NY 10128 



*A< 



■LIFEBOAT! 



"Vfe } re really getting some mileage out of the PCs 
now that they 're sharing information/ 



'Harris-Lanier sure steered us 
in the right direction!' 

/ 




FDR YOUR INFDRMAnON, 
OURNAMEIS 

HARRIS 

For more details on how Harris-Lanier can get 
your PCs to share information, call 1-800-241-1706. 



HARRIS 



Inquiry 202 



JANUARY 1986 'BYTE 341 



I ALWAYS GET THE BEST 

OF BOTH! 



^ K fE ATU« 
TURNOVER™ 

"Wireless file transfer" bet- 
ween IBM PC and APPLE it 
disk. Read, write and format 
APPLE II disks in your IBM { 
disk drive. Transfer any disk V 
file from APPLE to IBM, or 
from IBM to APPLE. No 
serial cables, no modems, no 
hassles and no problems. 
The TURNOVER board 
plugs into any slot of your 
IBM PC, XT and someJBM 
compatible computers, sup- 
plied with special software 
running under PC-DOS or 
MS-DOS. TURNOVER will 
read, write and format 
APPLE-DOS 3.3, APPLE 
CP/M, Pro-Dos, APPLE p- 
System and Apple III SOS 
disks in your IBM. 

[TURNOVER is a fast and , 
simple alternative to com- 
plicated modem and serial 
links for file transfer. 

XENO-COPY PLUS™ 4.0 

The latest release of an 
award-winning software util- 
ity. "Wireless file transfer" 
between IBM PC and most 
other disk formats. Read, 
write and format 220 dif- 
ferent disks in your IBM disk 
drive. Transfer any disk file 
from your "other" computer 








V * to IBM, or from IBM to your 
* 'pther" Computer. Eliminates 
slow, complicated serial links. 
/£J ; Y XENO-COPY PLUS reads, 
^writes and formats 40 and 80 
track^ 5Va" disks as well as 
3P?" disks. Transfer files from 
/ CP/M, MP/M. XENO-COPY 
p PLUS even handles non-IBM 
Sjjfe MS-DOS disk formats. A 
new, fully-integrated user 
interface makes this software 
quick and easy to use. 

XENO-COPY PLUS runs 
on the IBM PC, XT, AT and 
k, almost all compatibles under 
PC-DOS or MS-DOS. 

XENO-DISK 

The enhanced version of 
XENO-COPY PLUS for pro- 
fessional applications. 

; XENO-DISK offers all the 
capabilities and features of 
XENO-COPY PLUS. In addi- 
tion, XENO-DISK wilt read, 
write and format 8" disk 
formats. Eight different 8" 
formats are supported 
including 3741 and CP/M. An 
optional 5" and 8" disk con- 
troller card is also available. 

XENO-DISK also reads, 
writes, and formats 
Compugraphic MCS disks 
for wireless file transfer bet- 
ween typesetters and your 
computer. 



TURNOVER™ 



XENO-COPY PLUS™ 4.0 



XENO-DISK™ 




rtex 

systemsinc. 



INNOVATION IN MICROCOMPUTER PRODUCTS! 

6022 West Pico Blvd. *%4**it%'*o f\or-r 

Los Angeles, CA 90035 213/938-0857 



SEE YOUR DEALER OR CALL 
FOR INFORMATION. 



© 1985 VERTEX SYSTEMS, INC 



'TURNOVER, XENO-COPY PLUS, XENO-DISK are registered trademarks of Vertex Systems, Inc., IBM PC; XT, and PC-DOS are registered trademarks 

- registered trademark of Apple Computers, inc., MS-DOS Is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation, CP/M is a registered trt 

Inquiry 410 for End-Users. Inquiry 411 for DEALERS ONLY. 



Inquiry 209 



REVIEW: ENABLE 



tain more than 78 characters per 
record the program would let you 
scroll as far right as necessary to view 
the entire record, similar to a spread- 
sheet. Since my database contained 
two comment fields (for directions 
and comments) of 127 characters 
each, my records scrolled a long way 
to the right of the screen window. 

Still following instructions, I marked 
the whole database as a block and 
returned to the word-processing win- 
dow. I told Enable to move the block 
into my text. The program carried out 
my command, but each record ex- 
tended to the right beyond the word- 
processor screen window. 

Unfortunately, the word processor 
could not scroll to the right. When I 
tried to scroll to the right to look at 
the results, my PC locked up and I had 
to reboot and repeat the procedures. 
Then I tried to reformat the database, 
but that didn't work either and, after 
several tries, my computer froze 
again. 

I finally gave up on Enable for the 
survival-manual project. 

Summary 

As all reviewers do after completing 
their projects, I'm returning Enable to 
BYTE along with this review (needless 
to say, I did not write it with the 
Enable word processor). I am totally 
disenchanted with Enable's awkward, 
difficult-to-learn command structure 
and unimplemented features. 

Software manufacturers encounter 
enormous costs and delays as they 
develop their products. However, I 
don't believe consumers should be 
forced to endure bugs and unimple- 
mented features such as I found in 
Enable 1.0. 

Enable is a powerful program and 
probably the most successful attempt 
so far at a single software package 
that integrates the most common 
uses for microcomputers: word pro- 
cessing, database management, 
spreadsheets, and communications. 
Although I've heard version 1.1 is bet- 
ter, I found Enable 1.0 not quite ready 
and able because it is plagued by 
bugs, incomplete functions, and a 
clumsy disk-swapping scheme. ■ 



ToC 
or not to C... 

The C language used to be intimidating. Then RUN/C came along. It's an 

interpreter. That means you can run a C program immediately, without 

compiling it. Perfectfor learning C and writing programs interactively. Use it 

with any standard C compiler for a complete development system. 



RUN/C —THE C INTERPRETER "* 

Master C with our full K&R C interpreter plus full- 
screen editor. 

SAMPLE PROGRAMS 

Comes with critically-acclaimed C reference manual 
andover 100 sample programs on disk. 

EASY COMMANDS & FUNCTIONS 

Write and execute programs with LOAD, EDIi; and 
RUN. Debug with TRON, TRACE, and PRON. Use 
PC BASIC graphic functions like PUT GEi; CIRCLE, 
and LINE, SCREEN, and DRAW 



RUN/C PROFESSIONAL™ 

All the RUN/C advantages, plus powerful 
features for program development. 

LOADABLE LIBRARIES'" 

Load and run your favorite library functions (C-Food, 
Multi-Halo, etc.) from within your RUN/C interpreted 
code. 

DEBUGGINGTOOLS 

Polish program modules before compiling. New 
source-code debugging facitities allow you to set 
multiple breakpoints, single-step through a program, 
view and change variables during execution. 



Call LIFEBOAT* about RUN/C interpreters and our catalog of quality 
programming tools. 

RUN/C-The C Interpreter, RUN/C Professional and loadable libraries are trademarks 

of Age of Reason Co. 

Lifeboat and Lifeboat logo are trademarks of Lifeboat Associates 

C-Food Smorgasbord is a trademark of Lattice, Inc. 

Multi Halo is a trademark of Media Cybernetics, Inc. 



For immediate delivery or more information, call: 
1 800-847-7078 In NY (212)860-0300 

or write: LIFEBOAT" ASSOCIATES 

1651 Third Avenue New York, NY 10128 



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Inquiry 279 



JANUARY 1986 'BYTE 343 



REVIEW FEEDBACK 



TOSHIBA PI 340 

I have become a bit puzzled about the 
reviews for printers in BYTE the past year 
or so. particularly after purchasing a 
Toshiba PI 340 printer. 

The review of the Epson LQ-1 500 (BYTE, 
December 1984, page 293) gives a sam- 
ple of print from the PI 340 that was made 
with a printer that was not working prop- 
erly (see Maxim Smith's letter in Review 
Feedback, May 1985, page 299). The same 
is true of reviews of the IBM Quietwriter 
(June 1985, page 385) and the P1340 itself 
(October 1985, page 305). The print 
samples from the P1340 in all three of 
these reviews were done with PI 340 
printers that were not working properly. 

When 1 got my PI 340. 1 was warned that 
it was common for the flexible cable from 
the printer body to the print head to work 
loose, or partly loose, and that 1 would 
need to be sure that it was securely con- 
nected. Until I did this, my printer did not 
print properly. 

Whatever the cause, the PI 340 can (and 
should) print better than the examples 
shown in BYTE. Reviews of the PI 340 
should warn buyers about the possibility 
of loose cable connection, or whatever 
causes the problem. 

Dennis P. McGuire 
Minneapolis, MN 

1 want to compliment your review of the 
Toshiba PI 340 printer. 1 was particularly 
impressed that the reviewer, Rich M alloy, 
accurately reported the machine's usable 
fonts, rather than repeating the erroneous 
specifications advertised by Toshiba. 

It should be emphasized to your readers 
that this machine does not have a usable 
letter-quality font at 12 characters per inch, 
despite the fact that Toshiba implies such 
a font in its advertising and in the user's 
manual for the P1340. In fact, my experi- 
ence with Toshiba after purchasing a 
PI 340 suggests a disdain on the part of 
Toshiba for its customers; this might be of 
interest to any of your readers contemplat- 
ing the purchase of a Toshiba printer. 

Readers should know that an executive 
of the company told me that since 1 had 
purchased the printer from a discount 
house, at a below-list price. 1 had no right 
to expect Toshiba to accept return of the 



printer. Had I purchased the machine from 
an authorized, "full-price" dealer, Toshiba 
would have accepted a return. 

Altogether, my experience with the 
Toshiba PI 340 was very unsatisfactory. 
That is too bad because in many respects 
it is a very nice printer. My advice is to 
look for a manufacturer that has some 
regard for its customers and for the integri- 
ty of its advertising. 

Eugene H. Levy 
Tucson, AZ 

Deskpro Graphics 

In the August 1985 Review Feedback 
(page 283), Bryan Mumford made a note 
that the Compaq Deskpro will not run any 
of the popular graphics cards, such as the 
Hercules card. This is not quite the case. 
The monitor supplied with the standard 
Deskpro will not run on these cards. 

When 1 saw this letter. 1 went to the local 
Micro Mart; they assured me that the 
Deskpro will run these cards. 1 have seen 
Deskpros running a Sigma Color Design 
400 with a Princeton Graphic Systems 
SR-12 Monitor. They also claim that they 
have sold Deskpros with Tecmar Graph- 
ics Master cards and several other graph- 
ics cards, but not with the Deskpro 
monitor. One suggestion to Mr. Mumford: 
See if the Princeton Scan Doubler will 
work with the Compaq Graphics Adapter; 
that will give you 640 by 400 resolution 
on the Compaq monitor. 

Andrew Bowen 
Bethel Park, PA 

Stearns Desktop 

The review of the Stearns Desktop Com- 
puter (October 1985. page 264) by Wayne 
Rash Jr. mentioned some severe problems 
without correctly identifying the causes. 
Though 1 left Stearns in May 1 985, 1 was 
the hotline support specialist who 
answered Mr. Rash's telephone questions 
and inspected the Stearns computer after 
he returned it. The computer he used for 
the review was in BYTE's possession for 
over a year and had been visibly 
damaged in one (or more) of the three (or 
was it four?) shipments that BYTE ar- 
ranged for the computer. The unit had 
been dropped so hard that the hardened 
plastic case cracked, freeing the case's re- 



taining screws. One of these loose screws 
lodged under the main computer board 
(affecting the keyboard interface), a sec- 
ond was found in the power supply, and 
the third was near the disk controller. 
When the screws were removed, the key- 
board and disk drives functioned perfect- 
ly. Few electronic devices function well (if 
at all) when shorted. 

Perhaps, in retrospect, 1 should have 
been more insistent about shipping a re- 
placement unit. After all, the first dealer 
service provided to Mr. Rash was removal 
of a piece of the plastic case from the in- 
terior of the floppy-disk drive. He repeat- 
edly refused my offers to send a unit 
directly from the factory— an admirable at- 
tempt by BYTE to maintain continuity and 
integrity, but a mistake in this case. 

Carol L. Jahnke 
Bloomington, MN 

For the most part, Ms. Jahnke 's reply 
may accurately reflect the condition of 
the computer when it arrived in the 
Stearns offices. I did not notice any 
severe damage to the machine when I 
had it, but it was shipped twice more 
after that. 1 should note, however, that 
I would have expected the local service 
representative to bring such damage to 
my attention during one of his numerous 
visits. Since the service rep said nothing, 
I had to assume that the machine was in 
optimum operating order. 

I should also add that Ms. Jahnke was 
the model of patience and helpfulness 
during the time 1 had the computer. 1 
wish that other computer companies 
would staff their hotlines with people like 
her. 

Finally, let me add that even had the 
machine operated flawlessly, my findings 
as to the utility of the machine, its level 
of compatibility, and the level of docu- 
mentation would still stand and would 
still lead me to make the same recom- 
mendation as to its desirability. 

—Wayne Rash ]r. ■ 



REVIEW FEEDBACK is a column of readers let- 
ters. We welcome responses that support or challenge 
BYTE reviews. Send letters to Review Feedback. 
BYTE Publications. POB 372, Hancock. NH 
03449. blame and address must be on all letters. 



344 BYTE • JANUARY 1986 





■■■■. 




Chic. 



Seldom are computers 
thought of as beautiful. 

But out of every thousand , there is always 
one that catches the eye. Such a computer 
is the stunning new WS- 1 . 

The audition starts when you open the 
flip-top of this intriguing portable. Switch 
on, and the WS- 1 becomes a word- 
processor, a spreadsheet, a database, or a 
graphics tool. 

Stay in touch, with the WS-l's built-in 
autodial modem, speaker phone, and 
cassette mechanism. Send files, take calls, 
or even run the WS-1 as an answering 
machine! 



/ 





See us 

at the COMDEX Show 

in Atlanta, Georgia, April 

28 to May 1, 1986 



The WS-1 offers some surprises inside 
too. Such as a powerful 16/ 32-bit 68000 
microprocessor, ROM- based multitasking 
Operating System, and APL interpreter. 
Or features like the high-contrast 25 X 80 
bit-mapped graphics LCD, RAM expan- 
sion up to 5 12K, and optional 3 . 5-inch 
microfloppy disk drives. 

All this power comes in a sleek foot- 
printofonly 11 X 13 inches. We think 
you'll agree that the WS- 1 really is one out 
of a thousand. 




Bmpene 



Inquiry 19 



FOR DISTRIBUTORSHIP INFORMATION AND PRODUCT DETAILS PLEASE CONTACT: 



BmpEPE 

fmCORPORATtD 



Asahi Bldg. , 7-5-20 Nishi-Shinjuku. Shinjuku-ku. Tokyo. Japan. Phone: 03-365-0825. 
Telefax. 03-365-OW;. Telex. J33101 AMPERE. 1 P Sharp Mail BoxGxic AMP 
(Group Code APLWS). 



Wr\Pt GPACC U - s - REPRESENTATIVE OFFICE. 3K48 Carson St. Suite 301 
KMRftr-isFr&P Torranic. California i>0503, U.S.A. Phone. ^213-540-1553. 
COMPUTER IMC Telex: .322SOOWORKSPACE 



BUTE 



Kernel 



Computing at Chaos Manor: 
One Minor Problem 

by jerry Pournelle 349 

Chaos Manor Mail 

conducted by ]erry Pournelle 366 

According to Webster-. Benchmarking 

by Bruce Webster 371 

BYTE Japan: Favoring Kanji 

by William M. Raike 381 

BYTE U.K.: The Acorn RISC Machine 

by Dick Pountain 387 

Mathematical Recreations: 
Euclids Algorithm 

by Robert T Kurosaka 397 

Circuit Cellar Feedback 

conducted by Steve Garcia 403 



One minor problem. That's all it was— nothing more. We've all had them. In 
fact most of us have them every day. In Jerry's case, however the one minor 
problem kept going on and on and on. It just happened to be the day before 
Friday the 13th. Although it turned out to be a day that Jerry would not care 
to relive, he did learn some lessons from it and still has the highest praise 
for what personal computers can do. 

With the big move to Utah finally completed, Bruce Webster- feels that he 
is ready to start working again. This month's According to Webster deals largely 
with the subject of benchmarks. Bruce discusses what characteristics they 
should have, how to interpret them, and factors other than performance you 
should consider. He also makes a number of predictions for 1986 and prom- 
ises to review them at the end of the year. 

This month in BYTE Japan, Bill Raike focuses on the new NEC computers 
in the PC-9801 series, which no longer have the 8086 but are quite a bit faster. 
Another new Japanese product that Bill reports on is the long-awaited 
Japanese-language version of the Macintosh and some software that comes 
with it. It is the result of the linkup between Apple and Canon and is actually 
a kanji-character ROM board that's been piggybacked onto the main board 
of a 512Kbyte Macintosh. Finally Bill discusses the Fujitsu lap-size portable 
computer that he reported on in last August's BYTE Japan. It is now called the 
FM-167T and is available at very reasonable prices, but only in Japan. 

The events leading to the development of the Acorn RISC Machine, or ARM, 
is the topic of BYTE U.K. Dick Pountain covers the background provided by 
previous Acorn machines and describes the goals of the design team and 
how they were implemented in this RISC processor. 

In Mathematical Recreations, Bob Kurosaka returns to the subject of 
repeating decimals, covered in his November column. That column concluded 
with an algorithm for converting repeating decimals into fractions. This month's 
column presents a program to implement that algorithm. 



JANUARY 1986 • BYTE 347 



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PolyLibrarian - Manage .OBJs $ 89 

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348 B YTE • JANUARY 1986 



Inquiry 291 




COMPUTING 

AT CHAOS MANOR 



One Minor Problem 



Nearly Friday the 13th 

Reflections 

SpaceWar 



Bridge Parlor 



Nemesis 



MandelZoom 



Cardiovascular Program 



PC-Sweep 



FUPROLOK 



Copy II PC Option Board 



Hacker Ethic 



BY JERRY POURNELLE 



\erry Pournelle holds a doctorate in 

psychology and is a science- fiction 

writer who also earns a comfortable 

living writing about computers 

present and future. 



I've been back from Europe for nearly 
a month, during which time I've 
answered 532 letters, thrown out 11 
9-gallon trash bags of paper, and caught the 
flu. Withal, things have almost settled to 
normalcy. The construction is finished, most 
of the archaeological layers of mail have 
been answered, many of my books have 
been taken from boxes and shelved, and 
some of the great software inflow has been 
organized. I've even had time to work on 
a novel. On the other hand. . . 

Day of the Locust 

It was not Friday the 13th. It was the day 
before. 

It all started when Mrs. Pournelle made 
a weekend visit to Seattle. She took along 
Percy, the NEC PC-8201 lapboard portable. 
On the way back, she wrote a chapter for 
her new book and naturally wanted it trans- 
ferred over to her machine, which happens 
to be the Zenith Z-150. 

"No problem," said I. Little did I know. 

Our usual method for transferring Percy's 
files is to use an RS-232C cable to connect 
him up to a port on the Golem, our big 
CompuPro 286/Z80 S-100 Dual Processor. 
The Golem now reliably runs Concurrent 
DOS 4.0 and can read and write to a lot of 
different disk formats: 8-inch and 514-inch 
as well as CP/M and MS-DOS. More on this 
later. 

There is a minor problem: I don't yet have 
the proper Concurrent DOS software to 
transfer files in through the Golem's serial 
ports. Real Soon Now, they tell me. Mean- 
while, it is only a minor problem. The Golem 
boots Concurrent DOS off the hard disk, but 
he first looks to see if there's a floppy in the 
top 8-inch drive. If there is, he boots that, 
which means I can bring him up in old- 
fashioned CP/M-86, and that's not only as 
solid as a rock but has all the usual CP/M 
capability for using PIP to transfer files in 
and out of serial ports. I can bring in files 
and stash them on the hard disk or in the 
memory drive, open the 8-inch drive door, 



press Reset, and everything's fine. 

Well, there is another minor problem. The 
Golem has two terminals: our ancient (and 
extremely reliable) TfeleVideo 950 and Com- 
puPro's PC Video board, which is designed 
to make an S-100 system capable of running 
a fair number of MS-DOS programs under 
Concurrent DOS. The PC Video board 
naturally wants an IBM-PCompatible key- 
board. We've been testing the Enigma 9000, 
which is a very good keyboard indeed, but 
it has an interesting feature: when you first 
turn on the machine, the keyboard squeals 
and howls until it gets a signal to shut up. 
This is fine if I'm booting Concurrent DOS, 
but when I boot with CP/M, nothing ever 
talks to that keyboard, so it's going to howl 
until doomsday, and that's irritating. 

"No problem," I say, reaching behind the 
Golem to unplug the silly thing. My wife, 
who thinks computers don't like her even 
though she has made a truce with the Z-l 50 
and actually likes the PC-8201 a lot, waited 
expectantly for her text. "Hmm," I said. "It 
doesn't seem to be booting. Maybe a bad 
boot disk." 

I removed the 8-inch disk and hit Reset 
to let the Golem boot up with Concurrent 
DOS. Nothing. "Oh. I have to plug that key- 
board back in." I did. Reset. Nothing. 

"Do we panic yet?" Roberta asked. 

"Yes" Actually what I did was call Tony 
Pietsch. When Reset does nothing, you have 
a real problem. 

He listened to the symptoms. "Don't 
know. That's hardware, all right. Have you 
done the usual? Check the fan filter? l&ke 
the cover off and push the boards in? Check 
the cable connections?" 

"Uh, yeah," I said somewhat sheepishly. 
I hadn't told him about removing and re- 
placing the keyboard cable. I managed to 
get off the line. Sure enough, the hard-disk 
cable connector next to the keyboard input 
socket had been partially displaced; it took 
about one second to fix that, after which 
everything worked fine. 

[continued) 



JANUARY 1986 • BYTE 349 



Inquiry 290 



WALTZ 
LISP 



The universal, superefficient 
LISP for MS-DOS and CP/M. 

Waltz Lisp is a very powerful and complete 
implementation of Lisp. It is substantially 
compatible with established mainframe Lisps 
such as Franz (the Lisp running under Unix), 
Common Lisp, and Maclisp. 

In independent tests, Waltz Lisp 
was up to twenty)!) times faster 
than competing microcomputer Lisps. 



Easy to use. 



Built-in WS-compatible full- 
screen file editor: Full debug- 
ging and error handling facilities are available at all 
times. No debuggers to link or load. 

Random file access, binary file 
support, and extensive string 
operations make Waltz Lisp suitable for general 
programming. Several utilities are included in the 
package. 

Functions of type lambda (expr), 
nlambda (fexpr), lexpr, macro. 
Splicing and non-splicing character macros. Full 
suite of mappers, iterators, etc. Long integers (up 
to 611 digits). Fast list sorting using user defined 
comparison predicates. Built-in prettyprinting and 
formatting facilities. Nearly 300 functions in all. 

Transparent (yet programmable) 
handling of undefined function 
references allows large programs to reside partially 
on disk at run time. Automatic loading of initializa- 
tion file. Assembly language interface. 

Each aspect of 
the interpreter is 
described in detail. The 300+ page manual 
includes an exhaustive index. Hundreds of illustra- 
tive examples. 



Superbly documented. 



Order Waltz Lisp now and receive free our 

PROLOG Interpreter 

Clog PROLOG is a tiny (but very complete) 
PROLOG implementation written entirely in 
Waltz Lisp. In addition to the full source code, 
the package includes a 50 page Clog manual. 



16-bit versions require DOS 2.x orCP/M-86 and 128K 
RAM (more recommended). 
Z-80 version requires CP/M 
2.x or 3.x and 48K RAM 
minimum. Waltz Lisp runs 
on hundreds of different 
computer models and is 
available in all disk formats. 

5169 

'Manual only: $30 (refund- 
able with order). Foreign 
orders: add $5 for surface 
mail, S20 for airmail. COD add S3. Apple CP/M, hard 
sector, and 3" formats add S15. MC/Visa accepted. 

For further information or to order call 

1-800-LIP-4000 Dept. 31 El 

In Oregon and outside USA call 1-503-684-3000. 





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Portland, OR 97224 



INTERNATIONAL* 



CHAOS MANOR 



Well, there was a minor problem. 
The Golem has a lot of RS-232C con- 
nectors on the back. Concurrent DOS 
can support four physical terminals. 
The next hardware development here 
is to link the Golem with Zeke, the 
CompuPro Z80 I'm writing this with. 
I can also simultaneously connect up 
several different printers and under 
Concurrent DOS simply say PRINTER 
NEC or PRINTER HP, after which the 
Golem knows which port and printer 
protocol to use. That's necessary. The 
HP LaserJet is a fine printer for near- 
ly everything, but it can't handle fan- 
fold. Once a month I call in my ac- 
counting program, make journal en- 
tries for all the checks, and voila!, I'm 
done with all that until next tax time; 
but, of course, the check-writing pro- 
gram expects the checks to be on fan- 
fold paper. 

Anyway, there are many cable con- 
nectors, and, alas, while each of those 
connectors has a label, I have never 
written down which one is the TTY 
port under CP/M-86. 1 mean, I've done 
this 20 times, right? It's obvious, right? 
Wrong. And indeed, I did write it down 
about a year ago in a logbook. Unfor- 
tunately, I never got around to index- 
ing the log. Oh well, it's easier to ex- 
periment with different places to plug 
in than to search through that log. It's 
a simple experiment. Just put the 
PC-820I in Terminal mode and enter 
STAT CON: = TTY:. When you get 
things plugged in in the right place, 
Percy controls the Golem and all's 
well. 

Of course, there is a minor problem. 
You have to be sure Percy and the 
Golem's TTY port are set for the same 
baud rate. The PC-820I is set for 9600 
baud. I don't remember what baud 
rate we set for the TTY port under the 
old CP/M 2.2 BIOS (basic input/output 
system), but it doesn't matter. Chang- 
ing the Golem's baud rate is simple, 
lust type Baud 06 9600 (port 6 is the 
TTY port). Of course, if the baud rate 
is wrong, you can't change it if you've 
already assigned the console to the 
TTY port. The machine's not listening 
to anything except the TTY port, and 
it won't hear anything coming in at the 
wrong baud rate. . . Reset takes care 



of that. Now change the baud rate, 
then use STAT, and plug the cable 
in. . . 

After about 1 5 minutes of mucking 
about, I had that taken care of. The 
cable was connected, Percy and the 
Golem were on the same wavelength, 
and we were ready to send over 
Roberta's file. 

There was one minor problem. 

The simplest way to bring a file into 
a CP/M system from a port is to use 
PIP. Thie, if the file is larger than I6K 
bytes, CP/M has to go off and write 
some directory information at the 
I6K-byte boundary, but a 286 ma- 
chine writing to a RAM (random- 
access read/write memory) disk will 
seldom lose anything, even at 9600 
baud; certainly not more than a char- 
acter or two. There are better ways for 
transferring important data or pro- 
grams, but for text, PIP is the easy 
way to go. I invoked PIP. 

"Requires Concurrent DOS," re- 
sponded the Golem. 

"Yeah, of course." I muttered. 
PIP.CMD is for Concurrent DOS. We'd 
kept the old CP/M 2.2 PIP, but re- 
named it. Only what had we called it? 
Directory-search time. Sigh. The 
Golem has a lot of files on the hard 
disk in the A0 area. There's a reason, 
of course: system files stored on the 
A: drive, user area 0, can be invoked 
from any user area of any disk drive. 
Search away. Eventually I found 
PIP22.COM, after which it took about 
30 seconds to transfer Mrs. Pour- 
nelle's file over to the Golem and 
another 1 5 seconds to write it from 
the RAM disk to an 8-inch floppy. No 
matter what else happened, that file 
was safe. I disconnected the RS-232C 
cable, removed the CP/M 8-inch boot 
disk, reconnected the keyboard, and 
pressed Reset. Concurrent DOS came 
up fine. 

Look at the Darned Thing 

Of course, there were a few house- 
keeping details. 

Now that I had her file in the M: 
drive, it was no trick at all to change 
it from the vanilla-ASCII format of the 
PC-8201 editor to WordStar; that's 

[continued) 



350 BYTE • JANUARY 1986 




THE X-10 



THE X-10 POWERHOUSE 
INTERFACES WITH YOUR COMPUTER 
TO CONTROL YOUR HOME...FOR SECURITY, 
COMFORT AND ENERGY SAVINGS. 

This remarkable Interface lets you run your home through your 
Apple lie or He, Commodore 64 or 128 and a mouse, keyboard 
or joystick. 

When you're away, it makes your home look and sound lived in. 
When you're home, it can turn off the TV at night and wake you 
up to stereo and fresh brewed coffee in the morning. It can 
even turn on your air conditioner and control your heating. 

SPECIAL COLOR GRAPHICS MAKE PROGRAMMING A SNAP. 

You simply pick a room from 
the display screen. Use your 
mouse, joystick, or key- 
board to position graphics of 
lights or appliances. Then 
follow on-screen instructions 
to program any light or ap- 
pliance to go on or off when- 
everyou choose. You can 
even control thermostats, light intensity and more. 

THE WAY IT WORKS. The X-10 Powerhouse Interface is cable- 
connected to an Apple RS-232 port or a Commodore "User" 
port and plugged into a standard 1 10V outlet. After it is pro- 
grammed, the Interface sends digitally encoded signals through 
your home wiring to special X-10 Modules . To control a lamp or 
appliance, you simply plug the electrical device into a Module 

Inquiry 389 




THE CAT. 




Model CP290 



and then plug the Module into an outlet. 
The Interface can control up to 256 Mod- 
ules throughout your home and won't 
interfere with normal use of lights and 
appliances. 

There are plug-in Appliance Modules, 
Lamp Modules, Wall Switch Replacement 
Modules and Special 220V Modules for 
heavy duty appliances such as water 
heaters and room air conditioners. Plus Thermostat Controllers 
for central heating and air conditioning, Telephone Responders 
to control your home from any phone, and much more. 

IT WON'T TIE UP YOUR COMPUTER. Use your computer only 
for programming. When you're finished, disconnect the Inter- 
face from your computer and keep it plugged into any conven- 
ient power outlet in your home. It will operate as a stand-alone 
controller with battery back-up and will run your home 
automatically. 

SURPRISINGLY INEXPENSIVE. A Powerhouse System includ- 
ing the Interface, software and connecting cables costs less 
than $150. X-10 Modules are less than $20 each. 
Software for IBM PC and compatibles available soon. 

For the Dealer Nearest You Call: 1-800 526-0027 

or, write to: X-10 (USA) f in NJ: ( 201 > 784-9700] 

185A Legrand Avenue 
Northvale, NJ 07647 



X10 " POWERHOUSE 

NUMBER ONE IN HOME CONTROL 

Apple, Apple He and Apple lie are registered trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc. Commodore 64 and 128 
are registered trademarks of Commodore Int'l Ltd. IBM PC is a registered trademark of International 
8usiness Machines Corporation. 

JANUARY 1986 • BYTE 351 



Inquiry 412 



II 



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CHAOS MANOR 



done with Tony's FILTER.COM, a 
CP/M-80 (Z80) program that comes 
with the WRITE text editor. FILTER 
turns WordStar files to WRITE, WRITE 
to WordStar, and, for good measure, 
either WRITE or WordStar files to a 
standard ASCII with carriage return 
and linefeed at the end of each line 
(thus suitable for transmission over a 
modem to BYTEnet or BIX). 

It's also fast. Even with a normal Z80 
it is actually faster to exit WordStar, 
use FILTER to transform the WordStar 
file to ASCII, then use it again to put 
the file back into WordStar than it is 
to use the WordStar Control-QA 
global reformat routine; at least it is 
for files of any size at all. With the 
Golem's 8-megahertz Z80 slave 
board, the 286 to do housekeeping, 
and a RAM disk, it took less than a 
minute to make both ;WS and TXT 
transformations of her file. I even 
brought up WRITE, loaded in the text, 
and showed her. 

"Fine, but how do I get it on my 
machine?" she asked. 

"Nothing to it." 

There really is nothing to it. Concur- 
rent DOS on the Golem has a magical 
property: if I put a DOS disk in the 
5 ^-inch drive, I can read and write to 
it just as I would a CP/M disk. Not only 
does PIP.CMD work, but I can log onto 
that DOS disk while inside WRITE- 
which is an 8-bit program running on 
the Golem's Z80. I need only issue a 
SAVE on a DOS disk to transfer the 
file. I didn't do that, but only because 
it would save it in WRITE format, and 
she needed WordStar. 

"What do you want me to save it 
on?" I asked. She handed me a disk. 
It had her book title on the label. I put 
it in the 5 14-inch drive and from habit 
displayed the directory. 

There was one minor problem. No 
directory. The Golem wouldn't read 
that disk. 

"Isolate the problem," I said to 
myself. "Make sure the disk is good. 
Read it in a DOS machine." I turned 
on the Kaypro 286i PC AT clone, 
which is the only fully PCompatible I 
keep up here. 

This time there was a major prob- 

[continued] 



352 BYTE • JANUARY 1986 



Inquiry 413 



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Inquiry 141 







To order X-VIEW 86™ by credit 


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Title 








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CHAOS MANOR 



lem. It wouldn't boot. 

The next few minutes are too pain- 
ful to describe. Roberta insisted that 
computers don't like her, while I had 
a few choice remarks about experi- 
mental systems. Of course, I shouldn't 
have been much surprised by the 
Kaypro's problem; it had been having 
progressively more severe difficulties 
reading the hard disk. To get ahead 
of the story, it wasn't Kaypro ma- 
chinery that failed, it was the Seagate 
hard disk; Kaypro doesn't make hard 
disks. At the time, though, that was 
cold comfort, and I still didn't know 
why the Golem couldn't read 
Roberta's disk. 

"Calm," I kept telling myself. That 
often helps, although it's probably 
better not to shout it at the top of 
your lungs. Why wouldn't the Compu- 
Pro read Roberta's disk? Eventually I 
looked at it. Looked hard. It said: "10 
Sector, Single Sided"; it was for her 
Apple II, not the Z-l 50. The Compu- 
Pro 286 running Concurrent DOS can 
do a lot of wonderful things, but it 
won't read a hard-sectored disk. 

Eventually we found her real Zenith 
disks. The Golem had no trouble at 
all with those, and it took about one 
minute for PIP to transfer her file. 
Roberta went away to work, and I 
went back to answering mail. 

The End of the Matter 

There was one minor problem. While 
we were away in Europe, someone 
had disconnected the monitor from 
her machine. That one she dealt with, 
but they had also disconnected her 
highly portable MPI Sprinter printer, 
probably to take to a war-games con- 
vention. Roberta is at the stage where 
she'd rather write with a computer 
than a typewriter, but she also wants 
paper copies. I understand perfectly: 
it took me a couple of years before 
I was able to dispense with paper 
drafts and work exclusively on screen. 
She found her printer but wanted help 
connecting it. I hadn't set it up and 
couldn't remember if it was serial or 
parallel. 

'Tell you what." I said. "It's getting 
late. We'll let Alex take care of that 
tomorrow. Let Don print it on the IBM 



PC." I went back to the mail . . . 

After a while Roberta was back. Her 
file is in WordStar. Don Hawthorne, 
our assistant, was using XyWrite. 
FILTER on the CompuPro will trans- 
form a file from WordStar to XyWrite. 
but that's an 8-bit program. Don has 
a genuine IBM PC. If you read an un- 
transformed WordStar file into 
XyWrite. you see Greek letters, and 
graphics symbols, and other ex- 
traneous matter, all designed to make 
you think your files have been cor- 
rupted and your text lost . . . 

The next few minutes were again 
too painful to describe. Eventually I 
convinced her that nothing was lost. 
Of course, she still didn't have a paper 
copy. 

"Please hook up my printer." 

"It's almost suppertime. Here, I'll 
print it." 

She looked a bit wary. 

"It's no problem," I assured her. I 
took her disk upstairs and put it in the 
Golem's 5!4-inch drive. In seconds I 
had a copy in the RAM-disk drive. 
Seconds later I had used FlLTER.COM 
to make a WRITE conversion of her 
WordStar file. I added commands to 
put in page numbering and double 
spacing and to print the date as a 
footer. 

"While I'm at it. I'll make a really 
safe copy of all this." I said. Hard disks 
and 5 ^-inch disks are all very well, but 
to me "really safe" means an 8-inch 
floppy backup. I formatted a disk and 
put all her files on it. "Now we're 
ready to print." 

Of course, there was one minor 
problem. Although the Golem can run 
the HP LaserJet, he generally isn't con- 
nected to it; the printer is normally 
connected to Zeke, the machine I do 
all my books on. (I explained why I 
write with an ancient Z80 rather than 
one of the newer machines in the 
November I985 column. Basically, I 
want one machine that no one ex- 
periments with.) It wouldn't be much 
of a problem. Zeke, being a Compu- 
Pro, has no trouble at all reading 
8-inch disks written by the Golem. I 
turned the Z80 ori. 

Zeke is purely a writing machine; 
there's an autostart program that 



354 BYTE • JANUARY 1986 



CHAOS MANOR 



brings him up in WRITE. Zeke 
trundled for a moment, then was 
quiet. I looked at the screen. "Mem- 
ory Error at CF61. Exiting WRITE." 

I stared at that message. WRITE has 
a built-in memory-test routine, but I 
had never seen any result from it 
before. I pushed Reset. Same result. 
"Memory Error at CF61." 

"Is it time to panic?" Roberta asked. 

"I will keep calm," I kept saying, but 
in truth it was close to panic time; any 
other machine can fail without dis- 
astrous consequence, but Zeke is ab- 
solutely vital. "Logic" I told myself. 
Check the fan filter. Shake the cables. 
Open the box and push the boards 
in properly. TUrn on the machine 
again. "Memory Error at CF61. Exiting 
WRITE." 

"Now it's time to panic." 

Fortunately, early training prevailed. 
In the old days— prior to 1981— com- 
puters were expected to glitch. Zeke was 
from that era. When Tony built the 
machine, he insisted that I buy spare 
boards. Zeke proved so reliable I'd 
never needed them, but in fact 1 have 
enough boards to build a new 
computer. 

Locating them wasn't easy, but even- 
tually I found a CompuPro RAM-17 
64K-byte memory board. Blow the 
dust off the box. Tkke out the board. 
Now pull out Zeke's memory board. 
Study the switch settings. This should 
be simple. . . 

There was one minor problem. The 
phone rang. When I got rid of the 
caller, I realized I didn't know which 
of those two identical boards had 
come out of Zeke and which was the 
spare. Worse, they had different switch 
settings, and of course the bad board 
was the one with the switches set the 
right way. Now which was which? I put 
in a board and turned on Zeke. It was 
downright comforting to see "Mem- 
ory Error at CF61. Exiting WRITE." 

Five minutes later Zeke was working 
fine, and five minutes after that 
Roberta had her paper copies. The 
day before Friday the 13th was over. 

Reflections 

I wouldn't want to repeat that day, but 
it did have its useful aspects. 



First lesson: I've been spoiled. 
When I first began writing with com- 
puters, I bought a modular system 
because I expected glitches. In the old 
days, I would always push in boards, 
shake cables, and generally muck 
about looking for obvious problems. 
If that didn't work, I'd systematically 
replace boards. 



No longer. For five years Zeke has 
been on 8 to 12 hours a day, seven 
days a week, with time off only when 
I take trips; and in that time I have 
replaced one disk drive (the heads got 
out of line and began eating disks) 
and done one general housecleaning 
after moving the machine from one 

[continued) 



Lattice Works 



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Inquiry 203 



JANUARY 1986 -BYTE 355 



Inquiry 48 for End-Users. 
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356 B YTE • JANUARY 1986 



CHAOS MANOR 



room to another; now I've had one 
memory-failure error. Except for the 
time the drive went bad, I haven't 
even had (8-inch) disks fail. No wonder 
I was lulled into a false sense of 
security! But I should have remem- 
bered what to do. 

Second lesson: don't put the com- 
puter memoranda into the day book. 
Keep a computer log, and log everything. 
Baud rates. Port numbers. Cookbook 
instructions on how to do stuff that's 
important but infrequently needed. I 
always kept a complete computer log 
in the old days. It doesn't cost much. 
My local drugstore sells those mottled 
black-cover composition books for 
$1.89— never mind that when I bought 
my first computer the same book cost 
45 cents— and it's plenty easy to keep 
one in the bookcase next to the ma- 
chinery. 

Third lesson: years ago I concluded 
that "the best business microcom- 
puter is a year-old development sys- 
tem." It no longer makes sense to talk 
about "the best business micro." Too 
much depends on business needs 
and the software base. Even so, 
there's a bit of truth to the maxim. The 
Golem is an advanced experimental 
development system. Viasyn (Compu- 
Pro) still dominates the development- 
system market, and Dr. Godbout is 
forever sending down new refine- 
ments; but the heart of that modular 
S-100 system doesn't change, and the 
machine gets the job done. 

I can't say I'm entirely happy with the 
way CompuPro treats software. I wish 
mightily they'd take at least one more 
step toward PCompatibility. Even so, 
I'm still running all the 8-bit programs 
I wrote and refined and tailored to my 
needs. I've recompiled some in Com- 
piling CBASIC CB-86 so they run even 
faster. (For all my fascination with 
Modula-2, my accounting system and 
most of the business programs I rely 
on are written in Compiling CBASIC, 
which is one heck of a good language.) 
In addition, I can run Lotus 1-2-3 and 
a number of other PC programs; in- 
deed, with Concurrent DOS I can run 
Lotus 1-2-3, my accounting program, 
WRITE, and three other things at the 
same time. I can read from and write 



to a dozen disk formats. 

Computer users have to make 
choices. A long time ago I thought I'd 
made mine: I was going to be a user, 
not a hacker; I wasn't going to learn 
programming, I didn't care about the 
innards, I didn't know or want to know 
one chip from another. In times of 
stress I talk as if I still thought that 
way; but in fact that's a silly attitude. 
Powerful machinery gives me capabil- 
ities other people don't have. It also 
demands that 1 learn something about 
how to use it. The trade-off is worth- 
while. 

Example: in about an hour, Larry 
Niven and Steve Barnes are coming 
over to work on The Legacy of Wereot. a 
three-way collaboration. (Actually, it's 
a collaboration between Larry Niven 
and (erry Pournelle, who make up one 
auctorial entity, and Steve Barnes, 
who is another; but that's for a dif- 
ferent discussion.) The point is that 
while Niven and I have identical 
machines, Barnes uses a PCompatible 
and WordStar 2000. My big Compu- 
Pro 286/Z80 will read his disks and 
transform his text into WRITE files. 
We'll work for the afternoon, and 
when we're done, we'll put one copy 
back into DOS for Barnes and another 
onto an 8-inch disk for Niven. 

Do that with your off-the-shelf 
PClone. 

Development-quality machinery 
isn't for everyone. Being state of the 
art has costs. On the other hand, it 
wasn't the Golem's fault that I shook 
a cable loose. 

When all is said and done, Roberta 
did manage to write a chapter while 
on an airplane. We did manage to get 
it out of the machine and onto paper. 
I was able to write a column, several 
chapters of a novel, and a ton of notes 
while traveling in Europe, and all those 
safely reside on disks. So we had a 
bad day. We also got things done that 
a few years ago I'd have thought im- 
possible. 

I love these little machines. 

Look First 

If you are contemplating buying a 
CompuPro machine— and I like mine 

{continued) 



You would think when IBM needs 
EPROM Programmers they would choose 
the best and the most expensive. 

They don't. They only choose the best. 

GTEK. 





MODEL 7956 (w/RS-232 option) $1099 

MODEL 7956 (stand alone) S 979 

GTEK's outstanding Gang Programmer with 
intelligent algorithm can copy 8 EPROMS at a 
time! Use the 7956 in a production environ- 
ment when you need to program a large num- 
ber of chips. Programs all popular chips through 
the 27512 EPROMS; supports CMOS EPROMS 
through the 27C256; supports EEPROMS 
through the X2864A; supports Intel's 2764A & 
271 28A chips. The 7956 will also program 
single chip processors. 



MODEL 7228 S 599 

GTEK's 7228 has all the features of the 
7 1 28, plus Intelligent Programming Algorithms! 
It supports the newest devices available through 
512 K bits. The 7228 programs 6 times as fast 
as standard algorithms. It programs the 2764 in 
one minute! Supports CMOS EPROMS through 
the 27C256; supports EEPROMS through the 
X2864A; supports Intel's 2764A & 27128A chips. 
Supports Tektronics, Intel, Motorola and other 
formats. 




MODEL 7324 $1499 

The 7324 has a built-in compiler. It programs 
all MMI, National and Tl 20 & 24 pin PALS. It 
has non-volatile memory and operates stand- 
alone or via RS-232. 




MODEL7128 S 429 

The 7128 has the highest performance-to- 
cost-ratio of any unit. It supports the newest 
devices available through 256Kbits. 



MODEL 7322 $1249 

Same as Model 7324 but operates only via RS-232. 
MODEL 7316 S 749 

This PAL PROGRAMMER programs Series 20 PALs. It has a built-in PALASM compiler. 
MODEL 7283 $1199 

This BI-POLAR PROM PROGRAMMER programs all popular BI-POLAR PROMS. It operates 
stand-alone (for production) or RS-232 (for development). 
MODEL 705 S 299 

68705V3, R3, P3 PROGRAMMER. 

EPROM, PROM & PAL 

PROGRAMMERS 

— These features are standard from GTEK — 

Compatible with all RS-232 serial interface ports • Auto select baud rate • With or without 
hand-shaking • Bidirectional Xon/Xoff • CTS/DTR supported • Read pin compatible ROMS • No 
personality modules • Intel, Motorola, MCS86 Hex formats • Split facility for 16 bit data paths • 
Read program, formatted list commands • Interrupt driven— program and verify real time while 
sending data • Program single byte block or whole EPROM • Intelligent diagnostics discern bad 
and/or unerased EPROM • Verify erasure and compare commands • Busy light • Complete with 
Textool zero insertion force socket and integral 1 20 VAC power (240 VAC/50Hz available) • 



UTILITY PACKAGES 



GTEK's PGX Utility Packages will allow you to specify a range of addresses to send to the 
programmer, verify erasure and/or set the EPROM type. The PGX Utility Package includes 
GHEX, a utility used to generate an Intel HEX file. 

PALX Utility Package — for use with GTEK's Pal Programmers— allows transfer of PALASM" 
source file or ASCII HEX object code file. 

Both utility packages are available for CPM, H MS-DOS; PC-DOS, B ISIS" and TRSDOS" 
operating systems. Call for pricing. 

CROSS ASSEMBLERS 

These assemblers are available to handle the 8748, 8751, Z8, 6502, 68X and other microprocessors. 
They are available for CPM and MS-DOS computers. When ordering, please specify processor 
and computer types. 

ACCESSORIES 

Erasers DE4 $80; PE14T $129 

C25 $349; C50 $599 

U/V Eraser DE-4 $ 80. 

RS-232 Cables $ 30. 



Model 7128-L1.L2, L2A 

(OEM Quantity) $259. 

Model 7128-24 $329. 

Cross Assemblers CPM-80 $200. 

MSDOS;CPM 86 . . . $250. 



PGX Utilities Call for pricing 

PALX Call for pricing 



8751 Adapter $174. 

8755 Adapter $135. 

48 Family Adapter $ 98. 



"All you CPM people 

who wanted to move 

to IBM, but couldn't... 

now you can — and 

bring your CPM 
software with you!" 



\r 




From GTEK, the 
leader in devel- 
opment hardware 
and software, 
comes the 
CPM user's 
dream. 

The ma- 
jority of ad- 
vances being 
made in the 
computer 

industry today are being" 
made for PC-DOS and MS-DOS machines. 

If you are a CPM user who wanted to 
convert to these operating systems but didn't 
because you had to abandon or rewrite your 
CPM programs, now you can make your 
move without losing or rewriting a single 
program! 

The dream from GTEK is a package that 
makes your PC-DOS (IBM PC, XT, AT) or 
MS-DOS (IBM clones like COMPAQ, Leading 
Edge, Televideo) machines think they're being 
run by an 8080 or Z80 microprocessor 
with CPM! 



If you've been using 
CPM on any of these 
machines you can now 
move to PC-DOS or 
MS-DOS operating 
systems. 

Kaypro • Osborne • Heath/ 
Zenith • Radio Shack • 
Epson • DEC • IBM • Mor- 
row • Xerox • HP • Sanyo 
• lntertec • Cromenco • 
Televideo • Compupro. 



The GTEK pack- 
age contains a 
CPEmulator™ and 
CPM Conversion 
Utility that allows 
you to read and 
write popular CPM 
disk formats such 
as Kaypro and 
Osborne. 

How easy is it to use? Two steps. (1) Use 
the Conversion Utility to copy the CPM 
program to an MS-DOS or PC-DOS diskette. 
(2) Use the Bind Utility to attach the 
CPEmulator to your program. And that's it. 
It's ready to run. 

You won't see any difference when you 
run the CPM program! Now all the work you 
did in CPM is still valuable when you change 
to your PC-DOS or MS-DOS machine. 

And here's the happy ending to the dream. 
The CPEmulator is just $199. 

Call GTEK's CPM Hotline... 
1-601-467-9019 



Development Hardware/Software 
P.O. Box 289, Waveland, MS 39576 
601/467-8048; telex 315-814 (GTEK UD) 
, INC. 
GTEK, PALASM, CPM, MS-DOS, PC-DOS, ISIS, TRSDOS, & CPEmulator are registered trademarks. 



Utek 



Inquiry I49 



JANUARY 1986 'BYTE 357 



CHAOS MANOR 



a lot— you might want to know more 
about what you're getting into. C-Pro, 
the independent CompuPro User 
Group (POB 2146, Woodbridge, VA 
22193), publishes an increasingly 
useful magazine as well as maintain- 
ing a bulletin board. There have been 
a number of debates over software, 
there are tips about support, and 
there is enough information to make 
it well worth subscribing to. If you 
already have a CompuPro and aren't 
a member, you're really missing 
something. 

A Whole Lot of Stuff 

Every shelf in my office is a potential 
guilt trip; the place is crammed with in- 
teresting software. Sigh. Even giving 
short shrift to each won't get them all 
mentioned, much less do justice to 
them. In other words, my apologies: 
it's that time again, when I race along 
giving brief mention to programs that 



deserve a lot more space than they're 
going to get. 

First, there's SpaceWar for the IBM 
PC This is a full implementation of the 
classic game first done at MIT. It can 
be played by one player or two, with 
or without star and gravity fields. It 
has phasers and torpedoes, and the 
ships move in inertial space, meaning 
that if you accelerate you'll keep mov- 
ing in a straight line until you rotate 
the ship and blast again. It has nearly 
everything. Great game. 

SpaceWar is user-supported soft- 
ware, meaning that you can get a copy 
from anyone who has one, but you 
should send the author $20 if you like 
it and use it. 

Next, there's Bridge Parlor, which 
plays a very good game of bridge; I've 
been using it to relax after work at 
night. This one also runs on PCom- 
patibles, including the Kaypro AT 
clone. It- needs 192 K bytes of memory 



and 'I do wish the author had been a 
little fussier in his use of graphics; 
here and there I have to look closely 
to see what's going on. 

However: Bridge Parlor plays good, 
standard bridge. Opponents signal. 
Normal conventions apply. You can 
set it for defense practice so that 
you're never declarer, or you can 
always sit South with those wonder- 
ful hands that South always gets in the 
newspaper bridge columns. It does all 
this smoothly, fast, and well. Bridge 
Parlor isn't as nice as finding three 
congenial people to play bridge with, 
but it's the next best thing. Recom- 
mended. 

I mentioned last month that there's 
no good computer program that can 
play go. That's still true. However, you 
can get Nemesis, the best go program 
(as tested in tournaments). If you've 
any skill at go, it won't ever beat you, 

[continued) 




UHJjl [j« 



SMI 



BACKUP YOUR SOFTWARE WITH 
LOCKSMITH 6.0™. 

Locksmith, the controversial copy program that 
took the Apple world by storm in 1981, has evolved 
from a powerful bit-copy programmed into a 
complete disk utility system, allowing the Apple user 
to recover crashed disks, restore accidentally 
deleted files, and perform hardware diagnostics on 
the disk drive and memory boards. The NEW 
Locksmith version 6.0 is now available and includes 
an advanced disk recovery utility, a framing-bit 
analyzer, an automatic boot tracer, a sector editor, 
many file utilities, and of course, the most powerful 
bit-copy program available. A fast disk backup utility 
copies disks in eight seconds flat. Improvements to 
Locksmith Programming Language have made it 
more powerful and easier to use for you to write 
your own backup and repair procedures. Includes a 
library disk which contains automatic procedures to 
copy hundreds of Apple programs. 

Locksmith requires no additional hardware, but 
will use any additional RAM memory that it finds, 
including RAM boards from Applied Engineering 
and Checkmate Technology. 
Don't get caught with your hands tied. Order 
Locksmith 6.0 today. 




NEW LOW PRICE $79.95 
Registered Locksmith 5.0 owners may upgrade to version 6.0 for $29.95. 
Available from your computer dealer or directly from: 



© 



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4119 North Union Road 
Woodstock, IL 60098 
(815)568-5166 



1 VISA flffi 



©Alpha Logic Business Systems, Inc. 1985 

Locksmith and Locksmith/PC are registered trademarks of Alpha Logic Business Systems, Inc. 



358 B YTE • JANUARY 1986 



Inquiry 14 



COMPUTERS 



PC, 256K.360K FLOPPY, 
10MEGHD $2049.00 

PC, 256K, 360K FLOPPY, 1.2 MEG 
FLOPPY, 10 MEG HD. $2299.00 

PC, 256K, 360K, FLOPPY, 1.2 MEG 

FLOPPY, 20 MEG HD. $2659.00 
AT-512K, 1.2 MEG FLOPPY, 360K 

FLOPPY, 20 MEG HD. $3877.00 
AT-512K, 1.2 MEG FLOPPY, 360K 

FLOPPY, 40 MEG HD. $4349.00 

PORTABLE 

256K WITH 2-360K 

DISK DRIVES $1919.00 

256K WITH 1-360K FLOPPY AND 

10 MEG HD. $2449.00 

256KWITH 1-360K FLOPPY AND 

20MEGHD. $2639.00 

DESKPRO SYSTEMS 

MOD. 2-256K, 2HF/HT $1949.00 
MOD. 3-256K, 1HF/HT, 
10 MEG HD. $2795.00 

MOD. 4 -64 OK, 1 HF/HT, 
10MEGHD. $2949.00 

286 SYSTEMS 

286 PORTABLE, 256K AND 

1.2 MEG FLOPPY $3299.00 

286 PORTABLE, 640K, 1.2 MEG 

FLOPPY, 20 MEG HD. $4645.00 
286 PORTABLE, 640K, 1.2 MEG 

FLOPPY, 20 MEG HDB/U $5159.00 
DSKPRO 286-256K, 

1.2 MEG FLOPPY $3129.00 

DSKPRO 286-512K, 1.2 MEG FLOPPY 

30MEGHD. $4419.00 

DSKPRO 286-5 1 2 K, 1.2 MEG FLOPPY 

30 MEG HD. B/U $4940.00 



SOFTWARE 



WORD PROCESSING 

WORDSTAR 2000 $239.00 

WORDSTAR 2000 PLUS $289.00 

WORDSTAR EASY $ 87.00 

SAMNA PLUS $299.00 

SAMNA III $239.00 

PFS. REPORT $ 69.00 

PERFECT WRITER $125.00 
WORDPERFECT 

W/SPELLER $211.00 
PERSONAL 

WORDPERFECT $ 85.00 

MICROSOFT WORD $210.00 

SPREADSHEETS & 
DATABASES 

LOTUS 1-2-3 $299.00 

SYMPHONY $429.00 

SPELLING CHECKER $ 87.95 

TEXTOUTLINER $ 87.95 

SPOTLIGHT $ 44.95 

DBASE III $345.00 

FRAMEWORK $345.00 



SUPERCALC 
REFLEX 


S197.0C 

$249.0( 
S199.0C 


| DISKS 


COMPATIBLE 


POWER BASE 


MAXELL HI-DEN 


$42.95 


PC COMPATIBLE 


R BASE 5000 


$344. 0( 


MAXELL DS-DD 


$19.95 


64 OK, 135 W P/S keyboard, 2 DS, DD 


PERFECT CALC 


$125.0( 


] VERBATIM 


$21.95 


drives, ser port, par port, mono 


VISICALC 


$125.0( 
$109.0( 

RE 


) 




graphics card. 


MULTIPLAN 


1 GRAPHICS BDS 


$775.00 


FINANCIAL SOFTWf 






HOME ACCOUNTANT 


$84.0( 
$99.0( 


, HERCULES 

GRAPHIC CARDS 
COLOR CARD 


$289.00 
$145.00 




MONOGRAM 
DOLLARS & SENSE 


XT COMPATIBLE 






PARADISE 




640K, 135 W P/S keyboard, 360 K 


ACCOUNTING 




GRAPHICS CARD 


$272.00 


floppy, 10 meg HD, controller card, ser 


BPI 




MULTIDISPLAYCD 


$197.00 


port, par port, mono graphics card. 


GENERAL ACC. 
BPI INV. OR JOB CST 


S 297 °° PERSYST 
<c 471 nn rtn&i&i 

J COLOR CD/RGB COMP 


$199.00 


$1495.00 


BPI A/POR A/R 


$ <?9A50 B0B SUPER H |. RES 
$2750.00 


$389.00 




FIS2001 ACC SYS 




GREAT PLAINS GL, AR, AP 


INV. OR 


TECMAR 




AT COMPATIBLE 


PAYROLL 


S 389.00 GRAPHICS MSTR BD 


$445.00 


256 K, Keyboard, 192 W P/S, 20 meg 


SORCIM AR, AP, 








HD, 1.2 meg floppy, 360 K floppy, cont 
cards & cables, mono graphics card, 
384 K multifunction card w/clock/ 


ORDER ENTRY OR INV. 


MONITORS 


HARDWARE 


PRINCETON GRAPHICS 


calendar, ser. & par ports, game port 
(optional). 


AST 

SIX PACK PLUS 


S227.0C 


SR-12 W/DOUBLER 

AMDEK 


«DJ40.UU 

$714.00 


$2695.00 


ATADVANTAGE CARD 


$359.0C 
$543.5( 


COLOR 300 
] COLOR 300 RGB 


$269.00 
$359.00 




5251 EMULATION CARD 




QUADRAM 




COLOR 710 HI-RES 


$579.00 


IBM PROPRINTER $395 


MICROFAZER PAR 


S204.0C 


J IBM 




IBM QUIET WRITER. . . $1 ,049 


QUADBOARD64K 


S225.0( 


] PROF. GRAPHICS MON 


$969.00 


IBM COLOR JETPTR. . . . $549 


QUADMEG-AT 


S305.0C 


ENHANCED GRAPHICS 




IBM 


KEYTRONIC 




MON. 


$599.00 


WHEEL PRINTER. ... $1 ,389 


5151 KEYBOARD 


S149.0C 
$ 14.95 


) 






AT PROM KIT 


DISK DRIVES 


MULTIFUNCTION CARD 

Serial and parallel ports, 384 K 
expandable, clock/calendar, game 


COMPUTER ACC. 

POWER DIRECTOR 


$79.0( 


, TALLGRASS 
TAPE BACKUP 60 MEG 


$151 1.0C 


MOUSE SYS 




25 MEG DISK/ 




option port. 


MOUSE SYS W/PAINT 


S138.0C 


) 60 MEG TAPE 


S2559.0C 


4QR nn 



PRINTERS 



EPSON 



35 MEG DISK/ 

60 MEG TAPE $3259.00 

80 MEG DISK/ 

60 MEG TAPE $5359.00 



FX-185 




$475.00 


CONTROL DATA 




FX-85 
LQ-1500 




$349.00 
$899.00 


SYSTEMS 

18 MEG 
EXTERNAL HD 


$1299.00 




STAR MICR0NICS 




30 MEG EXTERNALHD 


$1559.00 


NLQ30 




$193.00 


30 MEG INTERNAL 




NLQ40 




$269.00 


IBM-AT 


$1299.00 


NLQ50 




$369.00 


IOMEGA 






BROTHER 




SINGLE 10 MEG HD 


$1799.00 


HR-25 




$519.00 


DUAL 10 MEG HD 


$2495.00 


HR-35 




$892.00 


CARTRIDGES 


$ 43.00 


TWINWRITER 


$913.00 


SHUGART 






HEWLETT PACKARD 




10 MEG HD W/CONT. 


$431.00 



LASERJET $2175.00 

6-PEN PLOTTER $1375.00 

THINKJET S 369.00 

Call fdr prices on C.IT0H 

DIABLO, NEC, APPLE, IBM 



MODEMS 



HAYES 

SMARTMODEM 300 $129.00 

SMARTMODEM 1200 $379.00 

SMARTMODEM 2400 $614.00 



SERIAL CARD. $44.00 

PARALLEL CARD $29.00 

COLOR GRAPHICS 

CARD $74.00 

MONO GRAPHICS 

CARD $94.00 

I/O MULTIFUNCTION 

CARD $95.00 



IBM SPECIAL #1 



IBM, 1-320K DS, DD DISK DRIVE, 10 
MEG. HARD DRIVE, AMBER OR 
GREEN MONITOR, 256K, PAR PORT 
PFS. WRITE AND FILE. 



$2350.00 



Call for prices on 

NOVATION, 

RACAL-VADIC 

VEN-TEL AND OTHERS 



PRECISION DS/DD 
$9.95 BOX OF 10 



IBM SPECIAL #2 



IBM AT- 1/20 MEG HARD DRIVE, 1.2 
MEG FLOPPY, PAR PORT, 512K, 
MONO MONITOR CARD, AMBER OR 
GREEN MONITOR. 



CALL $$$ 



ORDER LINE 1-800-334-8989 IN CALIF. CALL 1-818-341-9193 
OPEN 6 DAYS/WEEK, MON.-SAT. 6A.M.-6P.M. Pacific sw. Time 

*No surcharge for credit cards, free express- shipping on orders of $100.00. COD's accepted. 3% added for insurance No 
monitors, computers, printers, paper included in express- shipping. Prices subject to change without notice. Visa, MC, 
American Express accepted. Company purchase orders also accepted. +I8M is a registered trademark. Call for RMA# on 
all returns. 



•Price-Line- 



•Computers, Inc.- 



9710 Topanga Canyon Place, Chatsworth, CA 91311 



Inquiry 286 



JANUARY 1986 -BYTE 359 



Inquiry 364 



lIR3 



<lf>ZS 



TM 



UTILITIES 



FOR 



Turbo Pascal 



PROGRAMMERS 



Improve Code Performance 

Find Subtle Bugs 

Automate Tedious Tasks 



Supports Turbo Pascal 2.0 & 3.0 
IBM PC/XT/AT & True Compatibles 
PCDOS 2.X & 3.X 
192K RAM DSDD Drive 



If You Really Use Your 

Pascal Compiler You Need 

These Tools! 



Pretty Printer 
Pascal Structure Analyzer 
Execution Profiler 
Execution Timer 



Advanced Text Processing 
& Command Automation 



• Pattern Replacer 

' Difference Finder 
1 Command Builder 
' File Finder 

• Super Directory 



Where Else Can You Get 

500K of Integrated, Useful, 

Tested, Fully Documented 

Source Code for $95? 



140 Page Printed User Manual 

Quick Reference Card 

Detailed Programmer's Manual on 

Disk 

Complete Turbo Pascal Source Code 

6 Bonus Utilities with Source! 

Tax & U.S. Postage Included 

Executable only version $55 



MC/Visa Orders TOLL FREE 

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Brochures, Questions, PO's 

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INTERNATIONAL REPRESENTATIVES - 

Switzerland: Software Haus 064-512651 

Japan: Southern Pacific Ltd 045-314-9514 

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Holland: SCOS PC-Center 020-106922 

Norway: Polysoft 03-82575 

TurDO Pascal is a Trademark of Borland International 

360 B YTE • JANUARY 1986 



CHAOS MANOR 



but it does let you practice. If you 
have never played the game, you can 
learn using the program; it will ruth- 
lessly exploit dumb mistakes, so that 
when you graduate from it to a human 
opponent, you'll be a more interesting 
player. 

Go players are rated in ranks called 
kyu, with the lowest being best; Bruce 
Wilcox, inventor of Nemesis (The Go 
Master), claims this program is at 20 
kyu. I haven't played serious go in 10 
years; I can beat the program con- 
sistently, but I do have to pay atten- 
tion to what I'm doing. Whether it's 
worth $75 depends; if you've much in- 
terest in go, you'll probably be play- 
ing it long after you've tossed out 
most other computer games. Wilcox 
claims there will be stronger versions 
available Real Soon Now. 

Its Glorious! 

Every now and then we get wonder- 
ful, if somewhat specialized, programs 
to review. 

One such is MandelZoom from 
Token Software. Those of you who 
read Scientific American will recall the 
August 1985 cover story on the 
Mandelbrot set, which is said to be 
quite possibly the most complex set 
in mathematics. Mark Bolme of Token 
Software has done a program that will 
let you play with Mandelbrot sets on 
your color PCompatible; and it's 
glorious. 

The disk comes complete with 
cookbook instructions and a setup to 
let you examine all the stuff from the 
Scientific American article; if you want to 
know more, go look it up. With 
MandelZoom you can step back and 
look at the big picture or zoom in to 
examine fine structure. I can't imagine 
a better way to waste an afternoon or 
two. No color PCompatible is com- 
plete without a copy of this; get one 
and see what I mean. 

Looks Great to Me 

Cardiovascular Systems and Dynam- 
ics by Nils Peterson and Diana Arm- 
strong is another specialized pro- 
gram; if you need this one, you need 
it bad. 
Their introduction states: "Simula- 



tion brings to life the dynamics of a 
physiology laboratory while avoiding 
the* high costs of animal care and 
modern equipment." 

Most of us are disturbed by the cost 
of medical training; not merely the 
money costs, but other ones: the 
psychic or spiritual costs of using 
animals not only for research but also 
for student training. I do not care to 
become bogged down in the intrica- 
cies of this debate. I would suppose 
that there is no one in the world who 
prefers that animals be sacrificed to 
train students: the debate is over the 
necessity. 

The late C. S. Lewis said once that 
he imagined a science that would not 
do to a vegetable what is often done 
in experiments to human beings. One 
of the wonders of computers is their 
ability to simulate things that we really 
would not want to do in the real 
world. As micros become both 
cheaper and more powerful, we may 
yet realize Lewis's dream. 

The Peterson/Armstrong program 
simulates cardiovascular systems on 
a PCompatible machine. I'm not com- 
petent to determine how accurate the 
simulation is, but I had an M.D. and 
a veterinarian look at it. and both 
were impressed. I'd very much like to 
see efforts like this succeed. 

Take That 

Barry Workman has a new PC disk in 
his Software Anthology Series. This 
one contains Sweep for PCompati- 
bles. CP/M Sweep is still one of Work- 
man's most popular items; the new 
one is from the same authors and 
works more or less in the same way. 
With PC-Sweep, you can easily trans- 
fer files from one disk or directory 
area to another, rename, delete, make 
directories, print files, squeeze and 
unsqueeze, and a lot more. I use it all 
the time. Like the original Sweep, PC- 
Sweep is shareware; if you buy it 
through Workman, you become a reg- 
istered user and the authors get their 
fee. 

As usual, the Workman disk con- 
tains a mixed bag of shareware, free- 
ware, and public-domain programs. 

[continued] 



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Inquiry 194 



JANUARY 1986 -BYTE 361 



CHAOS MANOR 



All have been tested and work more 
or less as Workman says they will, al- 
though in some cases you may need 
some ingenuity. I count 20 programs 
on the disk; PC-Sweep is pretty well 
worth the $32.50 by itself. There's also 
FUPROLOK.COM, a demon that will 
let you run programs that have been 
protected with Vault's PROLOK from 
a hard disk. It's quick, transparent, 
and works. There are other "un- 
protect" programs also. 

I may be repeating myself, but I 
think Workman's Software Anthology 
Series is one of the best software 
bargains going. 

Copy All 

Every copy-protection scheme can be 
defeated. In the PROLOK scheme, a 
hole is burned on the original disk; 
you can copy the disk, but when you 
try to run the program, it will at some 
point or another try to write to that 
bad disk sector; if it gets back good 
data, the program knows you're not 
running the original disk and takes ac- 
tion; it either demands the original 



disk or dumps your program. Indeed, 
some Vault officials threatened much 
more drastic action, including the in- 
sertion of software time bombs that 
would damage your computer. 

The remedy to this one was obvious 
from the beginning. Using the infor- 
mation from Crayne's Serious Assembler 
(Baen Books), I was able to write a 
demon that resides in high memory, 
watches for the PROLOK call, and 
satisfies the program that there's a 
bad sector just where the program 
wants to see one. I never got around 
to publishing my demon, largely 
because I wasn't that sure I'd done it 
right; but it wasn't long before 
FUPROLOK appeared on bulletin 
boards across the country. 

Other copy-protection programs 
rely on doing odd things to the disk 
format: that is, they deliberately in- 
troduce errors onto the disk, then in 
software try to compensate for them. 
Most of these schemes use "undocu- 
mented features'— really quirks and 
errors— of the PC floppy-disk con- 
troller. The Copy II PC program from 



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Cardiovascular Systems and 


Software Anthology Series 




Dynamics Price unavailable 


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Command Applied Technology Inc. 


Series includes FUPROLOK 




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WRITE 


$239 


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includes FILTER 




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Copy II PC Program $39.95 


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Copy II PC Option Board and 


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Program $95 






Central Point Software Inc. 


SpaceWar 


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Central Point Software will take care 
of nearly all those schemes. When 
publishers found that out, they 
escalated the war. 

Central Point's answer to that is a 
new board. You plug it into your PC 
and connect to your floppy drives, 
then run the cable from your PC disk 
controller to the Copy II PC option 
board. This allows you to defeat most 
of the new protection schemes. 

The option board works fine in a PC, 
and it's easy enough to install. It's a 
bit harder to get into a Compaq or PC 
AT because you have to change 
jumpers around, but the instructions 
are clear enough. Once installed it 
works automatically, and you're set 
until the next round in the copy- 
protection wars. 

That's one remedy. Another is to 
l&ke The Pledge and not buy copy- 
protected software— a movement that 
seems to be gaining ground. 

It's having results, too. Living Video- 
text, which makes the excellent Think- 
Tknk program, has given up copy pro- 
tection. They're to be commended. I 
hope a lot of others get the message. 

The Hacker Ethic 

Steve Levy's book Hackers discusses 
"the hacker ethic" of free software. 
Some of the old MIT free-software 
people have decided to do something 
about it. Richard M. Stallman and 
others have formed the Free Software 
Foundation (1000 Massachusetts Ave., 
Cambridge, MA 02138). I don't know 
all those people, but I've known RMS 
for some time; and while his views of 
the world are not mine, I respect his 
intelligence and his integrity. 

They're looking for help. Write and 
ask for their brochure, and since they 
don't have much money, slip a buck 
in the envelope to help them cover 
the expense of mailing it to you. 

Winding Down 

It's late, Niven and Barnes are here, 
and the deadline is due; which is all 
right, because I am out of space. 

The game of the month is still BIX, 
which takes up more of my time than 
anything else; but while I was suffer- 
ing from the flu, I found a strange 



362 B YTE • JANUARY 1986 



CHAOS MANOR 



Pyramid of Peril 
has interesting puzzles 
and a good scenario. 



satisfaction in fooling about with the 
Macintosh version of Wizardry, while 
the boys continue to play both Gato 
and Pyramid of Peril on the Mac. 
Pyramid is really quite nice, with in- 
teresting puzzles and a good 
scenario. 

I have somehow managed to 
neglect Wilderness, an expert-system 
game developed by Charlie Kohlhase. 
Charlie's normal job is programming 
spacecraft; about the time you read 
this, Voyager will get to Uranus using 
his mission plan. Wilderness is fun 
and instructional and can teach a lot 
about living in wilderness areas. 
Recommended. 

The first book of the month is Klass: 
How Russians Really Live by David K. 
Willis, formerly Moscow bureau chief 
of the Christian Science Monitor (St. Mar- 
tin's, 1985). Excellent. Example from 
page 42: "Since I left Moscow, an 
American personal computer has 
become the mark of immense klass." 
If you want to understand life in the 
Soviet Union, this is the book. 

The other book of the month is 
Modula-2 Programming by Ed Knepley 
and Robert Piatt (Reston-Prentice- 
Hall, 1985); this is a good text for 
those who already know something of 
programming and want to learn more 
about Modula-2. 

BIX, meanwhile, continues to im- 
prove. I now find myself committed to 
having a BIX party next month; it was 
going to be a few friends and now 
looks to be bigger than that. I hope 
the place survives. ■ 

\erry Pournelle welcomes readers comments 
and opinions. Send a self -addressed, stamped 
envelope to \erry Pournelle, do BYTE Publica- 
tions. POB 372, Hancock. NH 03449. 
Please put your address on the letter as well 
as on the envelope. Due to the high volume 
of letters, \erry cannot guarantee a personal 
reply. 



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Inquiry 76 



JANUARY I986 -BYTE 363 



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364 B YTE • JANUARY 1986 



Inquiry 277 



PRICES AND MACHINES THAT 
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Inquiry 277 



JANUARY 1986 'BYTE 365 



CHAOS MANOR MAIL 



68000 Objection 

Dear Jerry, 

In the July BYTE ("Quo Vadimus?" on 
page 309) you mention that many ignore 
the Motorola 68000 family despite its fine 
architecture. For those of us in the scien- 
tific world, there is an important reason 
that 68000-based microcomputers have 
not yet caught on. That is the lack of a 
32-bit floating-point math chip for the 
68000 series, analogous to the 8087 
family for the 16-bit 8086/8088 series. 
Motorola has promised such a chip, but 
it has not yet materialized at the user level. 
The Skye board, which does do floating- 
point operations, yields about a factor of 
3 increase in speed. A 4.77-MHz 8088- 
based Compaq with an 8087 will do float- 
ing-point calculations approximately 10 
times faster than a 68000-based system 
with a Skye board. The 6-MHz 80286/ 
80287-based IBM PC AT and the 8-MHz 
8086/8087-based AT&T 6300 push this 
ratio to something like 20:1. While 
68000-based systems compile and link a 
lot faster, when you have to start crunch- 
ing numbers in a language like (I know you 
hate this) FORTRAN, the next step after 
Intel's 16-bit series is something like a 
VAX, which has good floating-point hard- 
ware available. 

Joel S. Davis 
Albuquerque, NM 

They tell me that Motorola is fixing this 
Real Soon Now. Meanwhile, 1 don't hate 
FORTRAN; 1 just don't think there's an 
easy-to-use implementation of it for 
micros. Certainly there wasn't back when 
MacLean and I were first learning about 
these little machines; FORTRAN was the 
only higher-level language I'd had any ex- 
perience with (or read any books about). 
If there had been a good implementa- 
tion, I'd probably have been a real cham- 
pion of RATFOR for micros! 

1 expect there are good micro FOR- 
TRANs now, but I've lost the knack. 

Best— Jerry 

Sour Apples 

Dear lerry. 

Being a late convert to the world of the 
microcomputer, I have always been 
amazed at the biased and bizarre views 



of so-called computer hackers. 1 am cur- 
rently astonished by the childish behavior 
of hackers who are in reality Apple fans. 
1 continue to read with amusement their 
immature ramblings on how we all must 
join with them to save the world from IBM. 
These California throwbacks to the 
Aquarian age are so detached from real- 
ity that they may never come back. First, 
let's look at what IBM did. Its people 
designed a computer using a microcom- 
puter chip (the venerable 8088) from a 
third-party vendor (Intel), using an oper- 
ating system from a third-party vendor 
(Microsoft), and gave out bus and inter- 
connection information so that anybody 
could design expansion cards and acces- 
sories for it. IBM did make some stupid 
decisions on the monochrome-versus 
color-display format and that infamous 
keyboard that opened the door for even 
more third-party action. But this is hardly 
Orwell's 1984. Even the most casual pe- 
rusal of BYTE reveals that numerous small 
companies are reaping the benefits of 
what IBM has done. 

Now let's look at the Apple Macintosh 
to see where Apple is headed. Well, it ap- 
pears that we have a closed system and 
a proprietary operating system. On top of 
that, if you want to do program develop- 
ment, you have to sign a licensing agree- 
ment that forbids any criticism of Apple 
(now that sounds like 1984). Look how 
Apple treated its early Mac supporters by 
charging them $900 for the memory up- 
grade to 512K bytes. Contrast that to IBM's 
decision to send all early PCjr buyers a 
free replacement keyboard. 

Now Apple is trying to call the Mac a 
business machine. The Macintosh design 
team was a group of immature computer 
whiz kids who obviously did not give any 
thought to creating a business computer. 
If they did, it's obvious that none of them 
knew what a business computer is, or 
should be. Anyone attempting to design 
a business computer must consider the 
following basic criteria: 

1 . Ergonomic keyboard. Since a business 
requires both text and numerical entries 
and easy scrolling, you need a good- 
quality keyboard with a separate numeric 
keypad and cursor pad. 



2 . Versatile, clear display: Businesses re- 
quire the option to use either a mono- 
chrome or color display. Since many 
workers do not have excellent vision, the 
display must be large (at least 13 inches 
diagonally) and have excellent resolution. 
Also, the monochrome and color formats 
should be the same (sorry, IBM). 

3. Two disk drives. A minimum of two disk 
drives are required to reduce annoying 
and time-consuming disk swaps and to 
simplify backing up disks. 

4. Built-in expansion slots. Since all busi- 
nesses have unique requirements, expan- 
sion slots must be available to tailor the 
computer to the needs of the business. To 
minimize desk clutter and to maximize 
performance, the expansion slots should 
be in the main unit, directly connected to 
the main buses on the motherboard. 

The Mac falls short in all four categories. 
Sure, you can clutter up your desk and 
spend extra money buying a numeric key- 
pad and a second external disk drive. But 
you can't have a cursor pad, a color dis- 
play, or any expansion slots. A mouse is 
a great editing tool, but it is irritating and 
difficult to use during keyboard-intensive 
text entry or when entering numerical data 
in a spreadsheet. Anyway, with the nu- 
meric keypad and second disk drive tak- 
ing up all your desk space, where are you 
going to roll the stupid mouse? 

As to your problems with the Maclribes- 
men, you do not have to be converted. 
The Mac is seriously flawed in both design 
and execution. Apple had a real chance 
with the development of the Lisa to set 
the standard for all future computers. In- 
stead, it assembled a design team of 
brilliant, but naive, kids and let them 
develop a nice little toy. Then Apple de- 
cided to close the system. On top of that, 
Apple released a virtually unusable 128K- 
byte system. Let's hope that all those Mac 
fans out there get the message and pass 
it on to Apple. If Apple's arrogance hurts 
sales enough, maybe Apple and other 
manufacturers will mend their ways. 

David Brandt 
Oakdale, NY 

Well, you put things a bit more strongly 
than 1 would. Stay well.— lerry ■ 



366 B YTE • JANUARY 1986 



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Inquiry 373 



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368 BYTE • JANUARY 1986 




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the three volumes indicated, bil ling me only $1.00 each, plus ship- 
ping and handling. I agree to purchase at least three additional 
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A few expensive books (as noted) count as more than one choice. 
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JANUARY 1986 -BYTE 369 



We call him Asher the Slasher. 
Not to insinuate that he's the violent 
type. Let's just say that Asher carries 
his job as media director to a kind of 
quasi-psychotic extreme; the way he 
slices up ad copy is a copywriter's 
nightmare. 

But when he ordered us to write 
this ad for Final Draft, the new word 
processor from CYMA/McGraw-Hill, 
we started feeling pretty brave. 
Because we use Final Draft every 
day. And we know exactly what to 
say about this incredibly simple and 
unbelievably powerful system. 
Without Asher's slashes. 

So we wrote about the edit 



commands. They're alphabetically 
assigned so that you can learn them 
easily. All 35, not 305 like some of the 
other systems we've struggled with. 
In fact, Final Draft is so simple, you 
can learn to use it the first day and 
master it the second. We did. 

And then we described the 
feature list: automatic red-lining and 
strike-out, table of contents, floating 
footnotes, thesaurus, spelling 
check . . . power you won't find in 
comparably-priced systems. 

But, as usual, the Slasher had 
some descriptions all his own. "You 
call this an ad?! I've read better copy 
in comic books! I'd better get a real ad 



by 5 o'clock, or heads will roll!" 

This time, he couldn't scare us. 
Because we knew it was a great ad. 
So we stored it with the canned 
paragraph feature, wrote 37 memos 
to the execs at CYMA, and read the 
ad into each one. And they loved it. 
Absolutely raved. Put it in all the 
magazines, and since then we've 
canned all our work with Final Draft. 
Now we're working on Asher. 



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ACCORDING 
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Benchmarking 



Industry Updates 

Benchmarking 

Predictions 



by Bruce Webster 



Bruce Webster is a consulting editor 

for BYTE. He can be contacted 

do BYTE, POB 191 0. Orem. UT 

84057. 



Well I made it. I and my belong- 
ings got to Utah relatively in- 
tact, and I managed to get 
everything unpacked and organized a day 
or two ago, so I'm ready to really start work- 
ing again. I appreciate your patience over 
the last few months; these columns have 
been a little bit sparse, but that should 
change now. 

Industry Update 

It is late September when I write this, and 
Apple has just announced several new 
products, including a 20-megabyte hard 
disk for the Macintosh (reportedly priced 
at $1495) and a 31/2-inch 800K-byte disk 
drive for the Apple He and He (at $499). 
Other products include a new version of the 
Imagewriter printer and two high-resolution 
color monitors for the Apple II computers. 
Not having seen any of them, I can't really 
comment except to say that it's good to see 
Apple taking a more aggressive role in the 
marketplace. I've taken swipes at Apple just 
about every month, mostly out of frustra- 
tion at the mixture of brilliance and lack of 
brilliance coming out of Cupertino. Apple's 
innovative edge had dulled a little, but com- 
mon sense seems to be making a strong 
comeback, and it bodes well for Apple as 
well as the industry as a whole. 

On another front, IBM has been very quiet 
for the last few months, having said little 
since announcing that earnings for the rest 
of 1985 were not going to be very good and 
that the PC II did not, does npt, and will not 
exist. I am not quite sure what this means, 
but I see two possibilities: Either the Entry 
Systems Division is in disarray since the 
mandated relocation of 200 of its ex- 
ecutives from Florida to New Jersey, or IBM 
is planning to make some stunning an- 
nouncement and has managed for once to 
keep it quiet. If it's the latter, the people at 
IBM will probably have made the announce- 
ment by the time you read this— they like 
the November/December period for such 
things. 



In the Atari 520ST versus Commodore 
Amiga battle, it appears Atari has won the 
first skirmish by getting machines out the 
door, onto dealers' shelves, and into users' 
homes. Commodore is just this week get- 
ting demo units of the Amiga to dealers. I 
do not yet have either machine. As I type, 
though, an Atari 520ST is winging its way 
to me from the BYTE offices in Peter- 
borough. No word yet, though, on when an 
Amiga might show up. Look for a side-by- 
side-by-side comparison of the 520SX 
Amiga, and Macintosh as systems and de- 
velopment software become available. 

Meanwhile, the "Christmas wars" should 
be over by the time you read this. Going out 
on a limb, I think that the Atari 520ST will 
be the big winner, with the Amiga also do- 
ing well (but not as well as the Atari). The 
big loser will be the Apple II, barring a 
drastic price reduction down to less than 
$600. Right now, the Apple II falls between 
the 520ST and the Amiga in price but looks 
rather pitiful next to either one in perfor- 
mance. The software advantage has carried 
the Apple II for a long time, but consumers 
now have some affordable alternatives that 
make up in sheer power what they may lack 
in available software. (For more on all this, 
see the "Predictions for 1 986" section later 
in the column.) 

Benchmarks and Language 
Selection 

Speaking of performance, a discussion of 
benchmarks has been going on for the last 
week or two in the Pascal conference on 
BIX (BYTE Information Exchange). The con- 
sensus is that the (in)famous Sieve of 
Eratosthenes (see listing 1) is not adequate 
by itself as a benchmark and that you 
should run several different programs to ex- 
ercise various aspects of a given compiler 
or computer. The trick, of course, is com- 
ing up with the right set of programs. 

What characteristics would the right set 
of benchmarks have? First, such a set would 

[continued] 



JANUARY 1986 "BYTE 371 



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need to cover the different aspects of a computer 
language. The Sieve, at first glance, doesn't do a bad job: 
It includes integer arithmetic and comparisons, array in- 
dexing, loops, and conditional tests. And the Sieve works 
well for getting "rough order of magnitude" comparisons 
between languages; for example, the benchmark times 
shown in my August 1 98 5 column give a pretty good idea 
of the comparative speeds of, say, MacPascal versus Mac- 
Modula-2 versus Megamax C. But the Sieve is probably 
not so reliable by itself for comparing -all the C compilers 
on the Macintosh. Why? The bulk of the time is spent with 
just a few statements: assigning a constant value to a one- 
dimensional Boolean (or, for C, integer or short) array, in- 
creasing an integer value by another integer value, and 
testing if one integer value is less than or equal to another. 
By optimizing those few operations, a compiler/language 
can look good running the Sieve but might not perform 
so well with a broader mix of tasks. 

Let's say, then, that we're going to design a set (or suite) 
of benchmark programs for comparing compilers and lan- 
guages. What aspects should be covered? The list might 
be as follows: 

• Integer arithmetic. Addition and subtraction will be fairly 
straightforward, since the underlying processor can prob- 

[continued) 



Listing I : The Sieve of Eratosthenes program written in 
Pascal. 

program Prime(lnput,Output); 



purpose 



calculate first 1891 prime numbers 10 times 



const 
Size 
var 
Flags 

I.Prime.K.Count.lter 
begin 
Writelnfsize of flags; 
Writeln('10 iterations',Chr(7)); 
for Iter := 1 to 10 do begin 
Count : = 0; 
for I := to Size do 

Flags[l] : = True; 
for I : = to Size do 
if Flags[l] then begin 
Prime := I + I + 3; 
K := I + Prime; 
while K < = Size do begin 
Flags[K] := False; 
K := K + Prime 
end; 

Count := Count + 1 
end 
end; 

Writeln(Chr(7),Count r ' primes') 
end. { of program Primes } 



= 8190; 

: array[0..Size] of Boolean; 
: Integer; 

.SizeOf(Flags)); 



372 BYTE • JANUARY 1986 



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ably handle them well. Multiplication and division, though, 
should get special attention, since they're more difficult 
and time-consuming, making them better targets for com- 
piler or run-time library improvement. 

• Real arithmetic. "typically, most compilers call run-time 
routines to perform real-number math, so speeds will vary 
widely depending upon how well written those libraries 
are. My own benchmark experience bears that out, with 
significant speed variations between different compilers. 
Also, precision is as important, if not more so, than speed; 
more on that later. 

• Array manipulation. Arrays are the closest thing to a 
universal data structure, found in just about all program- 
ming languages. They should be read from and written 
to. Multidimensional arrays with multibyte elements pro- 
vide the best test of performance. 

• Character and string manipulation. The perception of 
computers as number crunchers lives on, but micros prob- 
ably do more text processing than any other single func- 
tion. Different types of string manipulations, including as- 
signments and comparisons, are worth timing. 

• Manipulation of other data structures, like records or 
sets. Pascal, C, and FORTH all allow complex data struc- 
tures; assignment and manipulation of subfields should 
be timed. 

• Control structures. Loops and IF. . THEN and CASE 
statements all need to be tested. These are usually 
straightforward enough, but some care must be taken to 
provide accurate comparisons. The code within the con- 
trol structures must have closely matched or well- 
measured performance between different compilers. 

• Subroutine calls. As with control structures, you should 
be sure you're measuring the call and return performance 
rather than code within the subroutine or bracketing the 
call. 

• Screen input/output. I/O performance tends to be fuzzy 
because the operating system often stands in the way. 
Even so, some compilers handle this better than others. 
On the other hand, those that perform better often do 
so at the expense of portability by using machine-specific 
features. 

• Disk I/O. Again, the hardware and the operating system 
play a big role here, but with those two factors held con- 



Table l: Times, in seconds, recorded by seven 


different 


Pascal implementations running four benchmarks. These 


programs were all run on 


the same 


computer. 




Implementation Sieve 


Matrix 


Sort 


Reals 


1 15.3 


4.9 


12.3 


8.4 


2 12.3 


9.9 


3.1 


8.0 


3 15.2 


12.3 


14.6 


109.0 


4 164.3 


13.3 


17.2 


4.2 


5 20.9 


4.5 


10.7 


4.2 


6 234.3 


27.5 


26.9 


19.9 


7 23.8 


12.4 


11.5 


19.9 



374 B YTE • JANUARY 1986 



Inquiry 129 



Inquiry 81 



ACCORDING TO WEBSTER 



stant. language performance can be safely compared. 

The second characteristic is that these aspects should 
be isolated into different programs so that performance 
in each area can be measured. This isn't always easy; for 
example, it's hard to test control structures (loops, etc.) 
without having something in them— but that something 
might create a speed difference. Likewise, to test, say, in- 
teger arithmetic, you may want to set up a loop— but how 
much effect does the loop have? Still, with work and care 
you can get a pretty good idea of what aspects of each 
benchmark program are critical. By .separating the bench- 
marks, you can develop a profile for each compiler or lan- 
guage. This will help you decide which one to use for a 
particular application. 

Third, the issue of true comparison versus optimization 
must be dealt with. For example, at the start of the Sieve, 
the array F'ags is initialized using a FOR loop. Many com- 
pilers and languages support a fast fill routine (such as 
FillChar in UCSD and lUrbo Pascal or the FILL word found 
in many FORTH implementations); using such implemen- 
tation- or language-specific features can speed execution, 
while strict adherence to an independent form provides 
a more "accurate" (though possibly less relevant) com- 
parison. So the question is this: Should the benchmark 
programs be adjusted for each compiler/language to take 
advantage of special features, or should they remain as 
identical to other versions as possible? This is another 
argument for a set of benchmark programs; with multi- 
ple programs, you reduce the possibility of a specific 
feature or extension resulting in deceptively good perfor- 
mance for a single program. 

Finally, be aware of compiler options that can affect 
speed. TUrbo Pascal for example, has a number of op- 
tions (range checking, user interrupts, etc.) that are turned 
off by default, resulting in very fast execution. If you turn 
just one of them— $U + , for user interrupts— back on, your 
benchmark programs will slow down by a factor of 10 or 
so. In contrast; IBM. Pascal (version 1.0) has a number of 
similar options (covered by the metacommand SDEBUG) 
turned on by default, resulting in slower execution. When 
you run benchmarks, make sure that the compiler options 
are identically set, preferably with as many options turned 
off as possible. 

Interpreting Benchmarks 

Once you've run those benchmarks through a number of 
compilers or languages, you may find that the results are 
not as clear-cut as you would like. A particular implemen- 
tation may do well with a few of the benchmarks, so-so 
with some others, and poorly with one or two. For exam- 
ple, table 1- shows- the- results of running four benchmarks— 
the Sieve, an integer matrix multiplication, a string sort, 
and a real-number arithmetic exercise— through seven dif- 
ferent versions of a particular language on the same com- 
puter. Note the dramatic differences. For example, imple- 

[conlinued) 



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JANUARY 1986 'BYTE 375 



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mentation #3 looks pretty good with most of the bench- 
marks but does horribly with the real numbers. Likewise, 
implementation #4 beats all the others with the real 
numbers (except'for #5, which it ties) but is terribly slow 
on the Sieve and less than exciting on the other two. Im- 
plementation #5 seems to be the closest to an all-around 
winner; it comes in first on the second and fourth bench- 
marks and does acceptably well on the first and third. (For 
those of you dying of curiosity, the different implementa- 
tions are unmasked at the end of the column.) 

So the question is this: Which one do you go with? Well, 
as with just about any decision involving micros, "That 
depends." Upon what? Upon what you want to do with 
it. If you're going to be doing a lot of real-number calcula- 
tion, you probably won't choose implementation #3. Like- 
wise, for functions similar to the Sieve, you don't want #4 
or #6. But performance alone may not give you sufficient 
information to select one compiler or language over an- 
other. For example, the benchmarks for implementations 
#I, #2, and #5 are close enough that, for a general mix 
of functions, performance is going to be pretty much 
equal. So how do you choose? 

More than Speed 

Once you have eliminated performance as a criterion for 
selecting a compiler or language, you should consider 
other factors. Some of these are 

• Precision of real numbers (mentioned above). There are 
many pitfalls in doing real arithmetic, like cumulative 
round-off errors, subtraction of nearly identical values, and 
so on. Compilers typically have a set of library routines 
for doing real arithmetic; the quality of these routines can 
dramatically impact the quality of your results beyond the 
simple issue of how many significant digits the compiler 
supports. 

• Memory models. Most compilers perform well for small 
programs; what happens when you want to write a large 
one? How large a program can you have? How much mem- 
ory can you actually use, and what can you use it for? What 
mechanisms exist for getting around those limits? 

• Compiler size and speed. This wasn't considered an 
issue until Borland International released TUrbo Pascal, 
which was an order of magnitude smaller and one or two 
orders faster than anything else out at the time. I, for one, 
wonder now why many other compilers are so big and 
so slow. 

• Adherence to standards. This can be for the language 
itself or for the libraries supplied. Again, Turbo Pascal has 
been controversial in this respect; critics have pointed out 
the ways in which Borland ignored the ISO (International 
Standards Organization) and Wirth definitions and the 
problems caused thereby, while apologists have countered 
by claiming T.irbo itself is a de facto standard because 
more copies of TUrbo are in existence and use than any 
other Pascal implementation (and, probably, more than 
all other implementations combined). 



376 BYTE- JANUARY 1986 



Inquiry 267 



Inquiry 274 



ACCORDING TO WEBSTER 



• Access to hardware/ROM (read-only memoryj/operating 
system. How well does the compiler let you use the com- 
puter you're running on? This can include graphics, I/O 
ports, mass-storage devices, math coprocessors, and calls 
to ROM or operating-system routines. 

• Utilities. Does the language have support programs, like 
editors, debuggers, linkers, and libraries? How many are 
included in your package, how much do the rest cost, and 
how well do they work? 

• Cost, licensing, technical support, and upgrades. If 
you're planning to do a lot of work in a given language, 
cost is not that big an issue (unless, of course, you don't 
have the money). If you're planning to do commercial 
work, licensing is a big issue, although more and more 
firms are dropping licensing fees (inspired, perhaps, by 
the death of SofTech Microsystems, which used to ask in- 
credible fees). Likewise, good technical-support and up- 
grade policies are important for serious development, 
since most compilers are undergoing constant improve- 
ment. 

• Your environment. If all your coworkers are using C, it 
may not be a good idea to select Pascal, and vice versa. 
This is especially true if someone else is going to main- 
tain your program (fix bugs, add features, etc.) after you've 
written it. 

• Aesthetics and philosophy. Some people really like C; 
others swear by Pascal; yet others prefer FORTH, or LISP, 
or assembly language, or even (gasp!) BASIC. The reasons 
are many, complex, and often inalterable; in this respect, 
a person's language preference becomes as firm as 
religion or politics. What's really ironic is that, given all 
the benchmarks and other valid issues, this last point is 
often the deciding one, and the others are shamelessly 
manipulated to support the predetermined decision. 

As you can see, there is much, much more to consider 
in selecting a given language or compiler than how fast 
it runs the Sieve program. Of course, this is all assuming 
that you're running on one given computer. If we start talk- 
ing about different configurations (memory, disks, etc.), not 
to mention entirely different computers, the issues 
become even more complex. 

Predictions for 1986 

I'm not sure what it is that makes us get such a kick out 
of trying to predict the future, but it is fun. I am, perhaps, 
a bit unwise to try it myself; not only am I writing this 
before 1986 even starts (late September, to be exact), but 
I don't have much in the way of inside information, espe- 
cially living up here in the Rockies. But, as the song says, 
I've been a fool for lesser things, so here goes. 

• There will be a big upswing in the "mythical" home com- 
puter market. This will start toward the end of 1985 and 
will continue strong through most of 1986. What's more, 
the public— having learned their lesson from the millions 

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JANUARY 1986 • BYTE 377 



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of C-64s, TI-99/4AS, and VIC-20s gathering dust on book- 
shelves—will be willing to put out the bucks to buy power- 
ful, expandable computers. The result is that. . . 

• Commodore and Atari will both do well, much to every- 
one's surprise. People will buy the 520ST and the Amiga, 
looking for a system that can do serious work and yet run 
nifty games. The Apple II has been the only computer on 
the market for years that has really filled that bill, and its 
aging technology has caught up with it. This means 
that . . . 

• Sales of the Apple II will plummet, only to be spurred 
again by dramatically reduced prices. This, of course, will 
hurt Apple, since the Ile/IIc models have been the real cash 
cows, helping to subsidize the Lisa and the Macintosh. 
As a result. . . 

• Apple will be scrambling, trying to rectify its mistakes 
of the last two years. The computer-as-toaster concept of 
the Macintosh has failed. It remains the easiest computer 
around to use, but the crippling hardware limitations have 
held it back. A Mac-like machine with slots, a fan, a faster 
processor and disk drives, more memory and mass stor- 
age, a larger display, and possibly even color will be re- 
leased. With these changes. . . 

• An MS-DOS card for the new Macintosh will be released. 
Probably not from Apple, it will most likely come from 
either Dayna Communications (the MacCharlie people) or 
AST Research. The card will have cables leading to a pair 
of 5^-inch disk drives, and the whole system will let the 
new Mac look like an IBM PC. Once this happens. . . 

• The Macintosh will finally start to penetrate the cor- 
porate business market— two years late, and in nowhere 
near the numbers that Apple had hoped. Nevertheless, 
it will generate some cash and (more important) con- 
fidence from Wall Street, sending Apple stock up from its 
long-term slump. However, in the meantime. . . 

• An MS-DOS box-with 8088 processor and a BIOS (basic 
input/output system) from the folks at Phoenix— will be 
released for the Amiga. It will plug into the Amiga's ex- 
pansion bus and take over the machine, using the 68000 
as an auxiliary I/O processor. It may have its own 5 V* -inch 
drives, or it may use the optional 5!4-inch Amiga drives. 
At the same time. . . 

• UNIX, despite its many serious flaws, will also do well, 
much to everyone's surprise (except all those UNIX hackers 
who have sworn by it all along). Versions of UNIX will ap- 
pear almost simultaneously for the new Macintosh, the 
Amiga, and the upgraded (1 -megabyte) 520ST. All three 
machines will become popular in university and engineer- 
ing environments, as those same UNIX hackers discover 
the delight of having a computer all to yourself. The up- 
shot of all this is that . . . 

• The 68000 will have a good year, not only because of 
the successes of the new Mac, the Amiga, and the 520ST 
but because of other 68000-based systems aimed at 
home, educational, and scientific markets. Indeed, the 
80x86 versus 680x0 dichotomy will cause deja vu in those 
who have seen the IBM versus DEC mainframe and mini- 



378 BYTE • JANUARY 1986 



Inquiry 199 



ACCORDING TO WEBSTER 



computer market divisions over the years. Speaking of 
whom . . , 

• IBM will mostly sit on its lead (and its hands), content 
to rely on momentum and its name to sell products. The 
only new product to see the light of day will be its laptop 
portable, which will be decently designed but poorly 
marketed and received. Instead, this market will be 
snatched up by the clone-makers, much as the desktop 
portable market was, and possibly by the same firm: Com- 
paq. And speaking of the clone-makers. . . 

• IBM-compatible computers will continue to grab a larger 
share of the business market, eating into IBM's sales. 
Should IBM be so foolish as to introduce a proprietary 
operating system, that share will actually Increase, as both 
software developers and consumers shy away from lock- 
ing themselves into IBM-only software and hardware. 

Well, that's that. Those are my predictions for 1986. A 
year from now, I'll review them and see how 1 did. None 
are terribly dramatic, and there will undoubtedly be major 
developments that are unanticipated here. 

IN the Queue 

Well, the Atari 520ST arrived safe and sound and is now 
set up and running. Next month's column will be devoted 
to first impressions of the machine, which I think will sell 
very well. I'll also look at a significant piece of develop- 
ment software for the 520ST: a native-code Modula-2 com- 
piler from TD1 Software Ltd. Other programming tools will 
be covered, too, including two new native-code Pascal 
compilers for the Macintosh and a useful set of diagnostic 
tools for lUrbo Pascal development under MS-DOS. An 
Amiga computer is now on its way, so the following month 
(March) will have benchmarks and other comparisons be- 
tween the Mac, the 520SI and the Amiga. 

And the Answer Is. . . 

For those of you who are curious as to the identities of 
the language implementations in table 1, here's the story. 
All of these are Pascal implementations running on a Com- 
paq portable under MS-DOS 1.1. Since all were done in 
the spring of 1984, they are out of date; new versions of 
most (if not all) of the implementations have since been 
released. If I had had the latest versions of all the Pascals. 
I would have rerun the benchmarks, but I didn't. As such, 
these should not be considered accurate or current. The 
envelope, please: 

#1: llirbo Pascal, version 2.0, Borland International 

#2: IBM Pascal, version 1.0, IBM (Microsoft) 

#3: Pascal/MT+, version 3.1, Digital Research Inc. 

#4: UCSD Pascal, version I V.I, Network Consulting Inc. 

#5: Same as #4, but run through the native-code generator 

#6: UCSD Pascal, version IV. 1, SofTech Microsystems 

#7; Same as #6, but run through the native-code generator 

Incidentally these were all run with as many compiler 
options turned off as possible. ■ 



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board without IC 



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Brother HR15XL 




312 


NEC 2050 


593 


Powertype 


275 


Brother HR35 




635 


NEC 3550 


915 


StarSGIO 


196 


CltlzenMSPIO 




234 


NEC 8850 


317 


StarSG15 


333 


Corona Laser 




387 


Okidata192 


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Star SD10 


302 


Epson LX80 




208 


Okidat 193 


468 


Star SD 15 


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Epson LQ 1500 




837 


Okidata 182 


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Star SR 10 


425 


DX10 




223 


Okimate 10 


115 


StarSR15 


510 


DX20 




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Oiympal ro 


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Star SB 10 


426 


DX35 




619 


Panasonic KXP 1091 


222 


Silver Reed Exp 550 


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FX185 




458 


Panasonic KXP 1092 


327 


Silver Reed Exp 500 


231 


HPLaserJet 




652 


Panasonic KXP 1093 


390 


Silver Reed Exp 770 


593 


Jukl6100 




316 


Panasonic KXP3151 


379 


Toshiba 1340 
Toshiba 351 


416 
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80287 Chip 


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MONITORS 




AT Enhanced 


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IBM Monitor 


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COMMODORE 

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1541 Disk Drive 


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Persyst Monocard 


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Inquiry 153 






JANUAF 


Y 1986 -BYTE 


379 



technical Bulletin 




SUBJECT: Engineering a LAN for Maximum Flexibility. 



now available for the IBM-PC, IBM-AT, PC compatibles, DEC 
Rainbow and TANDY 2000. If you. "have been waiting for a Real- 
time Multi-tasking Multi-user Operating system with fourth 
generation LAN support, then QNX 2.0 can offer you today what 
the competition can't even begin to promise for the future. 

QNX 2.0 integrates the Local Area Network architecture right 
into the heart of the operating system, at the fundamental level 
of intertask communication allowing tasks to communicate 
transparently with other tasks across the whole network. This 
means that any task (program/application) may access ANY 
serial port, ANY printer or ANY disk on the network. There are 
no artificial restricitons. Every PC with a disk is a potential file 
server. PCs without disks will automatically BOOT over the 
network. 

QNX on the IBM-PC AT: 

QNX is the first Multi-tasking Multi-user Operating system 
available for the AT. It is available in both networked and single 
machine configurations. At about 2.5 times faster than the QNX 
8088 PC based systems, and 10 times faster than other multi- 
tasking operating systems on the same processor, QNX is the 
ideal program development environment. 

O/S Computer Processor Measured time 

QNX™ IBM-PC AT 80286 480 usee 



XENIX tm lntei-286 



4,930 usee 



File Security: 

Designed with extensive file security features, QNX 2.0 provides 
login protection with network wide file permission checking 
based on 255 groups of 255 users, in addition, each PC user 
may control network access to devices attached locally to their 
machine. 

Distributed Processing: 

The QNX LAN supports distributed processing as well as 
distributed devit iay be executed on remote stations 

as easily as they may be executed on the local work station. 
This allows pure processing elements (PCs without keyboards or 
rijsniavsVto be nlugged into the network to be used as an 



applications, ' 

Global Communications: t 

QNX supports a full implementation of X.25 allowing connection 
to public networks such as Telenet and Datapac. This allows you 
to link geographically separate LANs together providing true 
global area networking. 

Cost Effective Growth and Flexible Solutions: 

QNX is affordable, and will work with the PCs you use today and 
those you will use tomorrow. You may mix and match different 
brand PCs on the same QNX network with absolute ease. Multi- 
user expansion may be accomplished by adding terminals to 
PCs or PCs to the network. You can start your multi-user 
application on a single PC with 1 to 10 attached terminals. Once 
your single processor starts to show signs of degradation, add 
another PC and connect terminals to the new processor If the 
disk becomes the major bottleneck, you may add hard disks to 
other attached PCs to distribute the processing. Applications 
which are very CPU intensive may wish to limit a single user to 
each processor and expand the system with low cost diskless 
PCs used as work stations. QNX does offer a truly cost effective 
and flexible solution to your applications needs. 

Portability: 

QNX 2.0 is portable. The operating system is independant of the 
physical local area network. It is available in a form suitable for 
porting to other 8088/8086/80186/80286 computers in the 
consumer, educational and industrial market place. QNX is 
ROMable and can operate in as little as 128Kb RAM. . 

DOS Compatibility: 

PC-DOS version 2.1 can run as a task under the QNX 1:2 or 2.0 

operating systems. QNX wilt also allow transparent access to the 
DOS file system partition and floppies. 



QNX Products: 

QNX Operating System 

Full Screen Multi il Editor 

Extended Uf 

C Compiler & 80i. ambler 

Basic Compiler 

Qbot, (dibol) Compiler 

Text Processor 

Real Time Spelling Checker 



PC-DOS Emulator 
Electronic Mail 
Electronic Teleconferencing 
Full Screen * 
Isam File Utility 
Networking Board 
OEM Customization Kit 
(to port QHX) 



Established: 

Quantum sold over 10,000 copies of its operat 

1984, into ail business systems environments, to developers of 

rftai time applications, government and educational systems, to 

are developers/integrators, universities and research 

'ishments. 




SOFTWARE SYSTEMS LTD. 



Moodie Drive, HiTech Park, ;215 Stafford Rd; 
Ottawa, Canada K2H 9C1 (613) 726-1893 




Inquiry 302 




BYTE JAPAN 



Favoring Kanji 



NEC's PC-98XA, 


PC-9801VF2, 


PC-9801VM2, 


PC-9801VM0, 


PC-9801U2, 


and V30, 


DynaMac, 


EgWord, EgBridge, 



and FM-167T 



by William M. Raike 



William M. Raike. who has a Ph.D. 
in applied mathematics from North- 
western University, has taught opera- 
tions research and computer science 
in Austin. Texas, and Monterey. 
California. He holds a patent on a 
voice scrambler and was formerly an 
officer of Cryptext Corporation in 
the United States. \n 1980, he 
went to ]apan looking for 64K-bit 
RAMs. He has been there ever since 
as a technical translator and a 
software developer. He can be 
contacted do BYTE. POB 372, 
Hancock. NH 03449. 



As this is being written, the autumn 
O-bon holidays are behind us, 
along with the last of the muggy 
weather. It looks as if I may finally catch up 
with some postponed chores, like having 
the straw covers of my tatami mats turned 
over, mending the paper shoji screens on my 
sliding doors, buying new futons (sleeping 
mats), and checking the disk drives for 
mildew. 

NEC Upgrades the PC 9801 

Recently NEC has introduced so many new 
models in its PC-9801 series that I wonder 
if it's been taking its cues from automobile 
manufacturers. The most popular personal 
and office computers in Japan, the PC-9801 
series is the domestic version of the APC 
III that NEC sells in the U.S. I first mentioned 
the PC-98XA in BYTE (apan last October 
(page 381); it's the top-of-the-line model, 
based on the 80286 microprocessor (the 
same one IBM uses in its PC AT). In the 
same column, I mentioned the oddly timed 
introduction of the PC-9801U2, a version 
that uses 3 /2-inch microfloppy-disk drives 
and has less main RAM (random-access 
read/write memory) and graphics video 
RAM than the mainstays of the product line, 
the F2 and M2 models. All the previous 
PC-9801 models had been based on the 
8086-2 microprocessor, and they differed 
primarily in the capacities of their built-in 
5-inch floppy-disk drives. NEC uses the suf- 
fixes U2, F2, M2, M3. etc., to distinguish 
among PC-9801 models with different disk- 
drive configurations, memory capacities, 
etc., but they are all just variations of the 
basic PC-9801. 

Besides the PC-98XA, the new-model line- 
up includes the PC-9801VF2, VM2, and 
VM0, in addition to the PC-9801U2. NEC 
has switched over to a microprocessor it 
developed itself, the V30, instead of using 
the 8086 originally developed by Intel Cor- 
poration in the U.S. The V30 micropro- 
cessor (its actual designation is the /*PD- 
70116) is completely software-compatible 



with the 8086, meaning that it can run all 
programs that run on the 8086 or 8088 
microprocessors used in most current 16-bit 
computers. The only difference is that it ex- 
ecutes them quite a bit faster— typically 30 
to 50 percent— even when running at the 
same clock speed. In the VM0 and VM2 
models, a slightly faster version of the V30 
is used, and there's a switch so that you can 
select either of two clock speeds. The 
8-MHz rate is compatible with older ver- 
sions of the PC-9801 line, for programs that 
involve critical timing loops and the like, 
while the 1 0-MHz rate gives a 25 percent 
speed boost. Unfortunately, the 10-MHz 
rate is too fast for the old-type expansion 
RAM boards, so people upgrading from the 
older PC-9801 models will either have to 
use the slower 8-MHz clock rate or buy the 
new high-speed expansion boards NEC 
sells along with the new machines. 

The F in the VF2 suffix refers to the 640K- 
byte floppy-disk format; the 2 means there 
are two built-in 5!4-inch floppy-disk drives. 
The VM0 model has no built-in floppy-disk 
drives, although it does house both 5 !4- and 
8-inch interfaces because it's designed for 
users who intend to use external disk drives 
or for factory-automation applications. The 
VM2 has two built-in 1 -megabyte floppy- 
disk drives, although in this model they are 
also supposed to be able to read disks 
recorded on earlier NEC machines in either 
640K-byte or 320K-byte formats. Based on 
the experiences of people I know with 
earlier models of the PC-9801 , 1 suspect that 
the ability to read disks recorded in dif- 
ferent formats depends on which operating 
system you use. 

The NEC machines can run Japanese-lan- 
guage versions of either CP/M-86 or MS- 
DOS. NEC spokespersons say the company 
plans to make CCP/M, Microsoft Windows, 
and MS-DOS 3.1 available here in the near 
future. In the past, the PC-9801's ability to 
read various disk formats hasn't worked for 
people running under CP/M-86. 

[continued] 



JANUARY 1986 • BYTE 381 



CopyWrite 

BACKS UP 
IBM PC 
SOFTWARE 



Hundredsof the most 
popular copy-protected 
programs are copied readily. 
CopyWrite needs no 
complicated parameters. 
It needs an IBM Personal 
Computer, or an XT or an AT, 
128k bytes of memory, and 
one diskette drive. 
CopyWrite will run faster 
with more memory or 
another drive. 

CopyWrite is revised 
monthly to keep up with the 
latest in copy-protection. 
You may get a new edition at 
any time for a $15 trade 
in fee. 

CopyWrite makes back up 
copies to protect you 
against accidental loss of 
your software. It is not for 
producing copies for sale or 
trade, or for any other use 
that deprives the author of 
payment for his work. 

To order CopyWrite, send a 
check for $50 U.S., or call us 
with your credit card. We will 
ship the software within 
a day. 




Quaid Software Limited 

45 Charles Street East 

Third Floor 

Toronto, Ontario M4Y 1S2 

(416)961-8243 



Ask about ZeroDisk to run copy-protected 
software from a hard disk without floppies. 



BYTE JAPAN 



The long-awaited 
]apanese~language 
version of the 
Macintosh is 
finally in the 
showrooms here. 



Other improvements that are now 
standard were extra-cost options on 
earlier models. For instance, all 
models now include a full 6000-plus 
kanji-character ROM (read-only mem- 
ory), and the VM2 and VMO models 
now have 384K bytes of RAM, while 
the VF2 has 256K bytes. A mouse' in- 
terface is now standard on all models, 
too, as are 192K bytes of graphics 
video RAM (except on the U2 model, 
which has only 96K bytes of graphics 
video RAM and 128K of main RAM). 

Although discounts of 20 or even 
2 5 percent are common, the list 
prices of these computers are not too 
high considering the technology they 
represent. The PC-980IVF2 costs 
about $1480, while the PC-980IVM2 
costs about $1765. The VMO model 
costs only about $ 1 2 5 5 . If these prices 
sound a little higher than those I've 
mentioned recently in this column, it's 
because they reflect the recent drop 
in the value of the dollar against the 
yen. 

DynaMac 

When I reported on last year's spring- 
time computer shows, I had very lit- 
tle good to say about Apple's at- 
tempts to introduce the Macintosh to 
the Japanese market. You can now 
find features like mice and windows 
as low-cost options on Japanese-made 
computers (along with plenty of soft- 
ware). The biggest drawback of the 
Mac at that time was that it couldn't 
speak Japanese (except for some 
strange katakana displays kludged up 
using graphics). 
But Apple's reshuffling of its 



Japanese distribution setup and its 
linkup with Canon seem to have made 
a difference. The long-awaited Japan- 
ese-language version of the Macin- 
tosh is finally in the showrooms, and 
it looks as if it's been done properly 
and professionally. They've piggy- 
backed a small kanji-character ROM 
board onto the main board of a 5 1 2 K- 
byte Macintosh and written some 
software to take advantage of it. The 
result is the DynaMac. It's a* package 
consisting of a 512K-byte Macintosh 
with the kanji ROM installed (no, it's 
not available in the U.S.). an external 
disk drive, and a printer. (The printer 
is the Seikosha SP 1000 AR which of- 
fers a very readable kanji font, but you 
can order the standard Apple Image- 
writer instead.) The kanji ROM incor- 
porates only the IIS (Japan Industrial 
Standard) No. I set of 3400 or so 
characters, which is enough for lots of 
applications, although all the top- 
ranking Japanese personal computers 
also include the additional 3000 or so 
characters in the JIS No. 2 character 
set. The limitation is unlikely to be 
serious because, like other Japanese 
machines, the system includes the 
ability to incorporate additional user- 
defined kanji in the phrase dictionary 
stored on a floppy disk. 

I visited the exhibition where the 
DynaMac made its debut, courtesy of 
HI-TECS Company Ltd. in Tokyo, a 
local Apple distributor. In contrast to 
similar earlier affairs staged by other 
companies, the demonstrations were 
professionally organized. There were 
plenty of machines available, and 
there was enough well-informed staff 
on hand that no visitors ended up 
wandering around looking lost. I 
asked to see a demonstration of the 
Japanese-language word-processing 
program first. It makes effective use 
of the mouse and pull-down windows, 
and it seemed at least as usable and 
powerful as some other popular pro- 
grams, including the (WORD package 
that came with my previous Fujitsu 
computer. 

The Conversion Process 

The real key to evaluating a Japanese 
word-processing program is how well 



382 BYTE • JANUARY 1986 



BYTE JAPAN 



it performs kanji conversion. A kana 
shift, available on all Japanese per- 
sonal computers, lets you use each 
key to input one or two katakana (or 
hiragana, depending on the manufac- 
turer) phonetic characters. But most 
people are unfamiliar with the layout, 
and typists generally prefer to enter 
lapanese text phonetically using the 
Roman alphabet rather than the kana 
alphabet. The conversion routine then 
looks up the appropriate kanji char- 
acters in a stored dictionary. Sophis- 
ticated programs accept entire 
phrases, rather than individual words 
or even individual syllables. The 
EgWord program that comes from HI- 
TECS with the DynaMac does that. 
(EgWord is not pronounced the way 
you might think. Because Japanese 
are taught to mispronounce the word 
"easy" as "eejee," the spelling of 
EgWord is an attempt to systematize 
a mispronunciation of "easy word.") As 



you type with EgWord, the phonetic 
katakana characters corresponding to 
the Roman letters typed on the key- 
board are displayed in a screen win- 
dow. When you reach the end of a 
phrase or sentence, pressing one of 
the mouse buttons causes the 
machine to look through its phrase 
dictionary, which is partly in memory 
and partly on a floppy disk. It then 
converts the phonetic text to ordinary 
Japanese, which is a mixture of kanji 
characters and phonetic hiragana 
characters used primarily for inflected 
word endings (e.g., verb tenses). 

The conversion is a fairly sophisti- 
cated task because there are many 
kanji characters that are pronounced 
the same but have completely dif- 
ferent meanings. A good conversion 
routine has to guess the right kanji 
correctly from context a high propor- 
tion of the time. Of course, if the com- 
puter's first guess is not the charac- 



ters you really wanted, you can back 
up and examine alternative character 
combinations one by one, using the 
mouse for selection. Lots of good 
Japanese word-processing programs 
do this; this one does it as well as 
most. 

EgWord does have some shortcom- 
ings, however: It doesn't handle 
English-language text input very well 
(it doesn't have word-wrap, for exam- 
ple, because it's unnecessary in Japa- 
nese), and the distinction between 
standard-width and double-width 
Roman letters, important for profes- 
sional-looking Japanese text, is han- 
dled clumsily. 

Bridging the Gap 

In addition to EgWord, a program 
called EgBridge (similar pronunciation 
reasoning as in EgWord) is supplied 
with the DynaMac. EgBridge is a pro- 

[conlinued) 



maxell 



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(in Texas 1-512-682-7774) 

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W r i 



Moveable Arm 
P^ Saves Desk Space 




This mechanical arm holds your monitor up 
off the desk, saving space. It adjusts three 
ways to allow flexibility in positioning and 
swivels 360° to allow two or more people to 
share one CRT. It holds the monitor 8" off the 
work surface and the CRT platform tilts and 
swivels to provide a comfortable glare-free 
viewing angle. Also available for large moni- 
tors, the Space Saver CRT arm retails for 
$89.95. 



Lirffeklllllll 

Computer Accessories 



Dealer inquiries 
welcome. 



PO. Box 8056, Grand Rapids, Ml 49508 (616) 241-4040 



Inquiry 1 06 



Inquiry 210 



JANUARY 1986 'BYTE 383 



Inquiry 137 






The 
Enhancement 
Spec/a/fst 



m 

POWER TOOLS 



For The Latest 
Version of dBASE 

QUICKREPORT™ 

dBASE Report Writer 

• Prints any kind of report or form 
•Up to 6 databases per report!! 

• Use bold, italics, etc. 

• Incredibly easy to use 

• No programming required 

QUICKCODE III ™ 

dBASE Program Generator 

With many features not found in 
dBASE including: 

• Create PRG files automatically 

• Data entry programs 

• Data input error checking 

• Computed fields & totals 

• Link up to 8 databases! 

• Customize programs yourself 
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Let QUICKCODE III do it! 

dGRAPH III™ 

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• Pie, line, bar charts 

• Printer, plotter, or CRT 

• Many automatic features 

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• Finds program errors 

• Improves code 

• Saves time 
^Cross-reference listings 



-Versions available for dBASE II- 



201-794-8883 fox&geller 

Fox & Geller, Inc. 604 Market St., Elmwood Park, N J. 07407 



BYTE JAPAN 



Whether the Mac will 
be able to compete 
against sophisticated 
Japanese hardware and 
increasingly versatile 
Japanese software 
will probably be 
decided by prices. 



gram that lets you enter Japanese 
characters as well as conventional 
alphanumeric characters into stan- 
dard Mac software like Multiplan, 
MacPaint, MacProject, Microsoft 
Chart, and Microsoft File. It doesn't 
convert the English-language mes- 
sages built into the original program, 
but it does allow you to enter Japan- 
ese text. Even though the resulting 
screen displays are a hodgepodge of 
English and Japanese, EgBridge is an 
attempt to bridge the gap between 
the worlds of western software and 
the Japanese language. 

EgBridge is much more limited than 
EgWord; it does kanji conversion on 
a syllable-by-syllable basis, and it re- 
quires a user-supplied kanji dictionary 
(up to 3000 characters). Nevertheless, 
companies like HI-TECS are offering 
customized versions of standard soft- 
ware packages for purposes such as 
inventory management, building 
design, scheduling, sales manage- 
ment, etc., at prices ranging from 
about $550 to $800. The president of 
HI-TECS, Mr. Haneda, says they'll put 
together any kanji dictionary the 
customer wants at no extra charge. 

All in all, this is the first time that 
the Mac has had a chance to succeed 
in Japan. Whether it will be able to 
compete against sophisticated Japan- 
ese hardware and increasingly ver- 
satile Japanese software is another 
story— one that probably will be 



decided by prices. HI-TECS is offering 
the DynaMac, including the kanji 
ROM, printer, and external floppy-disk 
drive, for the equivalent of about 
$4575 and will throw in EgWord, 
which normally sells for about $240, 
for early customers. Since that's near- 
ly double the price of systems like the 
new NEC PC-9801VM2 or the dual- 
floppy-disk version of the Fujitsu 
FM-l6jS with a good kanji printer, peo- 
ple are really going to have to be im- 
pressed with the DynaMac for it to be 
a commercial success. Mac enthu- 
siasts who want more information on 
this machine can contact HI-TECS 
Company Ltd., 4-1 Kodemmacho, 
Nihonbashi, Chuo-ku, r Ibkyo 103, 
Japan. 

More on Fujitsu's FM^16tt 

In last August's BYTE Japan (page 331) 

I reported on the debut of the then- 
anonymous lap-size portable com- 
puter from Fujitsu. The machine is 
now called the FM-167T. It's been on 
dealer's shelves for some weeks, and 
even though it's not a technological 
wonder, . I think it's a tremendous 
value. If I needed a lap-size computer 
(it's about two inches thick and the 
size of a sheet of stationery), I'd think 
seriously about buying this one. 

The main processor is an 
MBL8086L, a CMOS (complementary 
metal-oxide semiconductor) version 
of the 8086 microprocessor, running 
at a clock speed of 5 MHz. The 
machine comes in three versions, with 
a main RAM of either 128K, 288K, or 
488K bytes. It is available with either 
the standard JIS (alphanumeric and 
katakana) keyboard or a phonetically 
arranged "goju-on" keyboard layout. 
A kanji ROM containing the 3400-odd 
JIS No. I set of characters is standard, 
and the ROM also includes a 19,000- 
word kanji dictionary for Japanese 
word-processing purposes. The liquid- 
crystal display is one of the best I've 
seen; it's far easier to read, for exam- 
ple, than that of the Data General/ 
One. It can display 25 lines of 80 
alphanumeric (or kana) characters, or 

I I lines of 40 kanji characters in a legi- 
ble 16- by 16-dot font. You get a built- 
in floppy-disk interface and bar-code- 



384 B YTE • JANUARY 1986 



BYTE JAPAN 



reader interface as standard, in addi- 
tion to a parallel printer interface and 
an RS-232C serial interface. There's no 
built-in modem, because by the time 
you read this, it will only just have 
become legal to hook up a direct- 
connect modem to the lapanese 
phone system; however, you can buy 
a separate acoustic coupler. 

Unfortunately, the FM-167T doesn't 
have a built-in microfloppy-disk drive; 
instead, like the Epson laptop 
machines, the machine has a micro- 
cassette drive built in. Supposedly, 
you can write over 200 characters per 
second to the tape; that comes to 
about a minute for a 10-page docu- 
ment, which is too long if you plan to 
save your word-processing results fre- 
quently. Nonetheless, I think I could 
live without a built-in floppy-disk drive. 
The machine runs under the CP/M-86 
operating system, and you can con- 
figure part of the main RAM as a RAM 
disk, which ought to be acceptable for 
medium-term storage, since a backup 
battery makes the CMOS RAM rela- 
tively nonvolatile. 

You can buy software in the form of 
optional ROM cartridges that sell for 
a little more than $200 each. Right 
now you can choose from two car- 
tridges: one includes Fujitsu's version 
of BASIC plus a communications pro- 
gram and the (WORD Japanese word- 
processing program, while the other 
contains the kanji COBOL Level II run- 
time system and a communications 
program. 

I have only one reservation about 
the FM-167T. The keyboard feel and 
layout are both good, with one glar- 
ing exception: The space bar is actual- 
ly three short bars, and only the mid- 
dle part (extending from just under 
the middle of the V key to just under 
the middle of the N key) works as a 
space bar. The outer parts are in- 
tended to control kanji conversion 
when you use a lapanese word-pro- 
cessing program. They are labeled (in 
lapanese) "Convert" and "No conver- 
sion"; they have no effect in the 
alphanumeric mode. For me, it made 
ordinary typing very inconvenient and 
almost intolerable. I suppose you 
could get used to it, but I'd be 



tempted either to "hot-wire" (cut and 
jumper) the keyboard (and I don't 
know if that's feasible) or to glue a 
steel bar over all three segments! 

The FM-167T is reasonably priced. 
You can buy the 128K-byte version for 
only about $810, while the prices of 
the 288K-byte and 488K-byte versions 
are only about $1020 and $1225, re- 



spectively. You'll have to buy one in 
Japan, though; they're not exported. 

Coming Up 

In the February issue, I'll focus on two 
shows I attended here in Japan in 
October— one on software and the 
other on data. I'll also discuss high- 
lights of several new printers. ■ 



C PROGRAMMERS, 
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Define your playbook up front. As a net- 
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It's your game plan. The database struc- 
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processor compiles the specification 
into tables (data dictionary) used by 

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Inquiry 305 



JANUARY 1986 -BYTE 385 




The SB180: Steve's fast, 4" x 7V 2 " 64180 Computer - $369.00 



Designer Boards Without Designer Prices" 

hardware from Bytes popular Garcia column can be designed 
into your applications at surprisingly low cost. 



Steve's a maverick designer 
who still believes in the 
value of a dollar — yours and 
his. And every board that Steve's 
designed for his 
Byte articles 
over the past 
nine years has 
had to pass the 
same tough test 
that you apply: 
perf o rmance 
and reliability at the lowest pos- 
ible price. 

Says he, '7* lot of people have tried 
to brainwash OEMs into thinking that 
they have to pay absurd prices for 




industrial quality boards. They charge 
what the traffic will bear. I don't 
like seeing anybody get ripped off 
so I design less expensive alternatives. 
Every time I plan a board I start by 
asking myself, 'how much would I 
want to pay for this if I were buy- 
ing it?" 

Micromint was formed to sup- 
port reader demand for Steve's 
boards and we carry on his tough 
standards. We also add the final 
ingredients that OEMs look for— 
fast delivery and painstaking, 
professional service. 

Many of our products originally 
appeared as feature articles 



in Byte. They include system con- 
trollers, data acquisition, voice 
synthesis / recognition boards, 
computer systems, power sup- 
plies, and environmental control 
and security systems. So call 
1-800-635-3355 now for free 
brochures . . . and ask about 
our OEM pricing. 

Micromint Inc. 25 Terrace Dr. 
Vernon, CT 06066 Telex: 64333 1 



J2S 




386 BYTE- JANUARY 1986 



• • • » • #•*••• 

••••••••••• 

••••••5 •-•*•* 



BYTE U.K. 



T/te Ao>ra RISC Machine 



A commercial 

RISC 

processor 



by Dick Pountain 



Dick Pountain is a technical author 

and software consultant living in 

London. England. He can be 

contacted do BYTE. POB 372, 

Hancock NH 03449. 



Acorn Computers Ltd. is one of the 
U.K.'s most successful computer 
companies, but like many others, 
it had its share of financial problems dur- 
ing the depressed year of 1985. Set up in 
1 979 by two Sinclair alumni, Chris Curry and 
Hermann Hauser, the Cambridge-based 
firm (4a Market Hill, Cambridge CB2 3NJ. 
England) started out manufacturing a set of 
modular single-board controllers based on 
the MOS Technology 6502 processor. These 
small boards stacked together to make up 
complete industrial-control systems. The 
following year the Acorn people launched 
the Atom personal computer, a packaged 
but expandable machine that arose out of 
their experience with 6502 systems. For a 
while, at around £200, the Atom was the 
cheapest hobby computer available here, 
and it attracted a strong following, par- 
ticularly among those who are as handy 
with the soldering iron as with the assem- 
bler. Hopped-up Atoms can still be found 
to this day. 

Acorn's next product, initially called the 
Proton, was designed to meet a very ad- 
vanced—for the time— specification pub- 
lished by the BBC (British Broadcasting 
Company), which was requesting bids to 
supply a personal computer around which 
an educational television series would be 
produced. Acorn won the contract, after a 
strong and often acrimonious contest in 
which Sinclair Research, whose 48K-byte 
color Spectrum was already on the market, 
lost out. 

After a frustratingly long delay due to 
quality-control problems with the ULAs (un- 
committed logic arrays), the BBC computer 
was launched and proceeded to corner the 
market in schools and universities. Acorn 
became a very wealthy company, with a 
turnover reputed to be £100,000,000 per 
annum at its high point. 

The BBC Micro (alias the Beeb) is still 
quite a deluxe machine, with better high- 
resolution color graphics than any of its 
competitors, and quite a bit faster, thanks 



to its 2-megahertz 6502. Another plus is the 
provision of a 10-MHz bus, called the Ttibe, 
to which second processors can be at- 
tached. Acorn charges a lot of money for 
this sophistication though, and the Beeb 
has kept its £400 price long after com- 
petitors have slashed theirs to below the 
£200 mark. 

Acorn had from the start paid more at- 
tention to software than most manufac- 
turers, recruiting the brightest Cambridge 
University computer science graduates for 
its software division. As a result, the Beeb 
acquired a range of languages unrivaled by 
any machine but the Apple II, including an 
advanced structured BASIC, LISP, Logo, 
FORTH, Pascal, BCPL (Basic Combined Pro- 
gramming Language), and more. But 
despite all these positive points, the Beeb 
has a major drawback, a shortage of mem- 
ory. The ambitious specification, combined 
with the limited addressing capabilities of 
the 6502, left it with a maximum of 32K 
bytes of workspace (only this year upgraded 
to 64K bytes), and in the higher-resolution 
graphics modes this can be reduced to a 
mere 8K bytes. That doesn't get you very 
far in LISP or Logo. 

So at the height of its prosperity Acorn 
set a team to design, in secret, its own pro- 
cessor to replace the 6502. This may seem 
like an ambitious, even rash, undertaking, 
but the people on the Acorn team were so 
wedded to the simplicity and speed of the 
6502 architecture that they found it hard to 
countenance any of the commercially avail- 
able 16-bit replacements. The BBC operat- 
ing system is heavily interrupt-driven, and 
the sluggish interrupt latency of 16-bit chips, 
such as the Intel 8086 and Motorola 68000, 
would have meant introducing DMA (direct 
memory access) hardware and all sorts of 
other undesirable complications. Acorn did, 
in fact, adopt the National Semiconductor 
32016 as a second processor for the Beeb, 
but only after first offering a 3-MHz 6502. 
And so they conceived the idea for the 

[continued) 



JANUARY 1986 -BYTE 387 



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The Toshiba 3-in-One™ printers. 

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Because their 24- pin printhead gives you beauti- 
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In the world of business printers this combination 
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So your printouts stand apart from the crowd. 



Toshiba's3-in-One136-column 
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For misinformation, call 1-800-457-7777 Oper- 
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InTbuch with Tomorrow 

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10SHIBA AMERICA. INC Information SysiemsDiviSion 




388 BYTE • JANUARY I986 



Inquiry 360 



BYTE U.K. 



Acorn RISC (reduced instruction set 
computer) Machine, or ARM. 

THE ARM 

The ARM was a very well-kept secret 
indeed. Until its announcement in 
August 1985, when it had already 
been created and was available in 
sample quantities, no word of its ex- 
istence appeared in the computer 
press. 

Acorn's designers worked in col- 
laboration with the U.S. firm VLSI 
Technology Inc. (San Jose, CA) who 
supplied them with CAD (computer- 
aided design) workstations and design 
software and made the chips. The 
Acorn team already had some experi- 
ence in VLSI (very-large-scale integra- 
tion) design from working on the 
ULAs for the BBC microcomputer, but 
none in processor design. At the time 
these were some of the most complex 
ULAs ever made. In a mere 18 months 
the Acorn team designed ARM from 
scratch, and it worked as specified 
from the first silicon. This is not only 
a great testament to Acorn's design 
skills, but also a remarkable vindica- 
tion of the RISC design philosophy. 
(See "RISC Chips" by John Markoff, 
November 1984 BYTE, page 191.) It's 
highly unlikely that such a feat could 
have been achieved using any of the 
colossal architectures currently in 
fashion, like the 68020. 

The Acorn people on the design 
team were inspired by the virtues of 
the venerable 6502 and by other RISC 
researchers, such as those on the 
Stanford and Berkeley teams. How- 
ever, they departed in several ways 
from previously used techniques. The 
design goals they set were high execu- 
tion speed, a small and regular in- 
struction set, and a very short 
response time to interrupts (in par- 
ticular, one much better than that of 
present 16-bit chips). In addition, the 
Acorn people required that the chip 
be capable of supporting virtual- 
memory operation. Since they started 
in 1984, it made sense to go straight 
to a 3 2 -bit processor, as the 16-bit era 
was already drawing to a close. 

The ARM design started, quite 
properly, with the instruction set 



rather than the hardware. In fact, the 
whole design, debugging, and prov- 
ing of the chip were performed by 
software simulations— some running 
on BBC microcomputers with the 
3-MHz 6502 second processor— with 
no hardware prototype at all. The first 
fabricated chips were also the first 
hardware realization of the project. 

ARM uses a heavily pipelined archi- 
tecture to achieve a performance of 
3 MIPS (million instructions per sec- 
ond) from a small (7 millimeters square) 
chip containing 2 5,000 transistors. For 
comparison, the 68020 is around 9 
mm square, contains 192,000 transis- 
tors, and achieves about 2.5 MIPS. 
Clocked at the equivalent of 5 MHz, 
ARM runs BASIC benchmarks almost 
exactly 10 times faster than the IBM 
PC AT and comfortably faster than the 
TD1 Pinnacle with its 12-MHz 68000. 
The first version of ARM uses fairly 
conservative 3-micron CMOS (com- 
plementary metal-oxide semiconduc- 
tor) design rules with double metal 
level and uses so little power that it 
doesn't become even detectably warm 
in use. The device is packaged on a 
square 84-pin ledec chip carrier. 

Later versions will go to 2.4-micron 
design rules, resulting in an even 
smaller chip. A smaller chip means a 
higher yield, and Acorn estimates that 
it will be more than four times 
cheaper to manufacture than current 
megachips such as the 80x86 and 
680x0 series. Acorn hopes to sell it to 
manufacturers of low-cost personal 
computers, as well as to the artificial 
intelligence workstation sector. 

ARM has 2 5 full 32-bit registers, a 
3 2 -bit data bus, and a 26-bit address 
bus that enables it to address 64 
megabytes of memory to byte boun- 
daries. Only 16 registers are normal- 
ly available to the programmer. Dur- 
ing interrupts the extra registers 
become available to the processor to 
simulate a DMA channel without 
needing to save any of the user's reg- 
isters. Register 15 contains the pro- 
gram counter; it also holds the status 
flags in its first 6 bits, there being no 
separate flags register. 

All instructions are 32-bit words 

[continued) 



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TOSHIBA 

TOSHIBA AMERICA. INC , information Systems Division 

Inquiry 360 



■ 



BYTE U.K. 



(aligned on word boundaries), divided 
into several fields, and fetchable in 
one clock cycle. All operations are 
performed on 32-bit quantities. If you 
wish to fetch bytes, certain of the 
load-and-store instructions will extract 
them and zero-extend them to 3 2 -bits, 
making use of the on-chip barrel 
shifter. The advantage of this scheme 
is that having everything the same 
length simplifies instruction fetch and 
sequencing. A potential disadvantage, 
shared by many RISC designs, is that 
a minimum 4-byte instruction gener- 
ates a lot of code compared to older 
machine designs. With today's mem- 
ory prices, however, that is not too 
great a concern. 

There are 44 basic instruction codes 
that can be divided into five categor- 
ies: load-and-store single-register, 
load-and-store multiple-register, arith- 
metic and logical, branch, and soft- 
ware-interrupt instructions. ARM sup- 
ports no multiply or divide instruc- 
tions. Each instruction type has 
several fields, and by setting appro- 
priate option bits you can synthesize 
a large number of different instruc- 
tions from the basic set. 

Following the Berkeley and Stanford 
models, ARM has a load-and-store ar- 
chitecture. Only the load-and-store in- 
structions can access memory, and all 



operations on data are register-to- 
register. 

All the instructions are conditional; 
that is, they include a test that must 
be true before they will execute. The 
first 4 bits of each op code are used 
to select one of 16 possible condi- 
tions. This reduces the number of 
branches required in a program be- 
cause branches reduce the efficiency 
of pipelining. When a program takes 
a branch, it has to throw away the next 
(already fetched and decoded) in- 
structions; this causes a time- 
consuming break or "bubble" in the 
pipeline. You can write many pro- 
grams without branches using this 
"skip-on-test" feature, which is avail- 
able in every instruction. 

The ARM has only two addressing 
modes: base-relative and program- 
relative. However, you can easily syn- 
thesize other modes from these. Base- 
relative mode permits either a 12-bit 
immediate value or a second regis- 
ter—in each case shifted if necessary 
by the barrel shifter— to be used as 
the offset. The result of this offset 
operation may be optionally rewritten 
to the base register— signaled by turn- 
ing on a "rewrite" bit in the instruc- 
tion. Since offsets may be positive or 
negative, it's easy to get the same ef- 
fect as the 68000's pre- and post- 



automatic decrement and increment 
modes. 

The ARM'S barrel shifter is also 
used for arithmetic and logical shifts 
and (without programmer involve- 
ment) to align data words and to ex- 
tract fields from instructions. As an 
example, to multiply a,number in a 
register by 17. ARM could add the 
number to itself shifted left four times 
and could do it in a single clock tick. 

Branches use a 24-bit offset that 
allows branching to anywhere in 
memory. There are no separate long 
and short jumping instructions and no 
reason to want them, as they would 
save neither space nor time. If you set 
the optional "link" bit in the branch 
instructions, register 1 5 (the program 
counter) is copied into register 14 as 
a return address so that jumps and 
subroutine calls and returns are ac- 
complished by the same instruction. 

All ARM instructions can be ex- 
ecuted in one clock tick, except for 
the load-and-store multiple-register in- 
structions, which require one tick per 
register. These load-and-store multi- 
ple-register instructions provide a fast 
way of saving the processor state and, 
therefore, very efficient context 
switching for procedure calls in high- 
level languages. 

Figure 1 is a block diagram that 




390 BYTE- JANUARY 1986 



BYTE U.K. 



32 

BITS 



, ARM FLOORPLAN . 



INSTRUCTION 
SKIP 



TRAP 
CONTROL 



CONDITION 
SEQUENCER 



BIT 
COUNTER 



PRIORITY 
ENCODER 



DATA 
CONTROL 



PIPELINE 
STATUS 



INSTRUCTION BUS 



REGISTER SELECT 



REGISTER 
DECODE 



PROGRESS 

STATUS 

REGISTER 



ALU 
DECODE 



SHIFT 
DECODE 



INSTRUCTION 
DECODE 



ALU OUTPUT BUS 



ADDRESS BUS 



ADDRESS 
BUS 



ADDRESS 
REGISTER 



3 



ADDRESS 
INCREMENTER 



u 



REGISTERS 



( SHIFT BUS I 



NCREMENTER BUS % | READ BUsT^) 



n 



Jl 



o 



PIPE- 
LINE 



DATA 
BUS 



READ BUS A 



Figure 1: Block diagram of the 32-bit data path through the ARM chip and some of ARM'S main functional units. 

shows the 32-bit data path through by a single control unit, as in conven- array in which the instructions are 

the ARM chip and some of ARM'S tional processors, but by a number of hard-wired. There is no microcode 

main functional units. The flow of data separate functional units. The instruc- ROM (read-only memory); indeed 

through this pathway is not controlled tion decoder is a programmable logic [continued) 



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Inquiry 213 



JANUARY 1986 "BYTE 391 



BYTE U.K. 



there is no microcode. Bits in the ac- 
tual instruction word provide most of 
the control information. 

ARM may fetch an instruction from 
memory while the previous instruc- 
tion is being decoded and that in- 
struction's predecessor is finishing 
execution in the ALU (arithmetic logic 
unit). This state of affairs, which maxi- 



mizes processor throughput, persists 
as long as ARM is performing register- 
to-register operations consecutively 
without branching. The load-and-store 
architecture pays dividends in pipe- 
line efficiency. Acorn has measured 
ARM'S maximum processor-to-mem- 
ory bandwidth (the rate at which it 
can transfer data) at 18 MHz. 



Afron's PC/AT Bugbusters 



Hardware-assisted Software Debuggers for Bullet-proof PC/ Al-based Products 




A BUGBUSTER STORY 

Brad Crain, a project 
manager at Software 
Publishing (the people 
who developed both 
PFS:WRITE and PFS: 
FILE), relates the follow- 
ing: "On Friday, March 
22, 1985, I was about to 
get on an airplane with 
Jeff Tucker, who was co- 
author of PFS:WRITE 
with me, and fly to 
IBM's Boca Raton, Flor- 
ida facility. For a week, 
we had been unsuc- 
cessfully tryingto isolate 
a bug in a new software 
product. In a last, desper- 
ation move, I set up an 
early-Saturday morning 
appointment with 
ATRON. 

"Three of us walked 
through ATRON's door 
at 8:00 the next morning. 
Using ATRON's hard- 
ware-assisted debugging 
tools, we had the prob- 
lem identified and fixed 
by 10:30AM." 

Mr. Crain concludes: 
"We'd never have found 
the bug with mere 
software debuggers, which have the bad habit of getting 
over-written by the very bugs they're trying to find. It 
doesn't surprise me that almost all the top-selling soft- 
ware packages were written by ATRON customers. Now 
that they've broadened their PC family of debuggers to 
include a PC/AT debugging tool, those of us seriously 
into 80286 development are greatly relieved." 



ARE YOU TRYING TO DO SOMETHING SCAREY? 

Like developing your AT-based software product in the 
dark? Without professional debugging tools? 

Seven of the ten top-selling software packages listed by 
the THE WALL STREET JOURNAL* were produced by 
ATRON customers. The PC PROBE™ bugbuster 
($1595) accounts for much of this success. Nowthatthe 
PC/AT is the new standard for advanced commercial and 
scientific development, ATRON is proud to announce the 
AT PROBE™ bugbuster ($2495). It has even more 
debugging capabilities than the PC Probe. 

•WSJ. June 24. 1985. reporting Softscl figures. © 1985 by ATRON. PC PROBE" and AT PROBE'" ATRON. SIDEKICK" Borland. IBM Corp. 



HOW BUGBUSTERS KEEP YOU FROM GETTING SLIMED 

The AT PROBE is a circuit board that 
plugs into your PC/AT. It has an 
umbilical which plugs into 
your 80287 socket and 
monitors all processor 
activity. 

Since AT PROBE can 
trace program execution in 
real time, and display the 
last 2048 memory cycles, 
you can easily answer the 
questions: "How did I get 
here?" and "What are the 
interrupts doing?" 

It can solve spooky 
debugging problems. 
Like finding where 
your program over- 
writes memory or I/O - 
impossible with soft- 
ware debuggers. 

You can even do 
source-level debugging 
in your favorite lan- 
guage, likeC, Pascal or 
assembler. And after 
your application is 
debugged, the AT 
PROBE's perfor- 
mance-measurement 
software can isolate 
your application's 
bottlenecks. 

Finally, the AT PROBE has its own 1 -MByte of mem- 
ory. Hidden and write-protected. How else could you 
develop that really large program, where the symbol 
table would otherwise demand most of your PC/AT 
memory. 

BORLAND'S PHILIPPE KAHN: "THERE WOULDN'T BE A 
SIDEKICK™ WITHOUT ATRON'S DEBUGGERS." 

So why waste more time reading though your program 
listing forthe ten thousandth time, trying to find why your 
program starts howling with every full moon. Be like 
BORLAND, get your Atron bugbuster today and bust 
bugs tomorrow. 



mik 



THE DEBUGGER COMPANY 

20665 Fourth Stieel • Saratoga. CA 95070 408^741-5900 

is numerous Iraifcnuuks. Ad hylUBA. 



The condition-sequencer and instruc- 
tion-skip units implement the skip-on- 
test feature. If the current instruction's 
condition test fails, the instruction is 
discarded without breaking the pipe- 
line. of following instructions. 

Acorn departs firmly from the 
Berkeley model however, on the sub- 
ject of delayed branching. The 
Berkeley RISC avoids the problem of 
pipeline breaks by delaying branch in- 
structions; it redefines branches so 
that they take place after the next in- 
struction; thus, you can always safely 
prefetch the next instruction. Acorn 
was initially attracted to this idea but 
later rejected it because part of 
Acorn's design goal was to support 
virtual memory. 

A processor that works in a virtual- 
memory environment must have re- 
startable instructions; if a memory- 
accessing instruction— for example, a 
store— tries to access a part of mem- 
ory that is not available, the memory 
manager will order an abort. When 
the processor receives an abort signal, 
it must restart the offending instruc- 
tion, having restored the processor 
state and taken some appropriate 
remedial action. With a delayed 
branching scheme, this is difficult to 
do if an abort occurs while prefetch- 
ing the instruction following a branch. 

Acorn's team instead chose the 
skip-on-test route and thus has made 
all the ARM instructions restartable. 
However, the hardware itself won't do 
all the repair work; it only preserves 
the information necessary so that 
user-supplied software routines can 
restore the processor state. 

ARM has achieved the desired short 
interrupt latency, partly thanks to the 
virtual absence of uninterruptible 
multicycle instructions and partly due 
to the presence of dedicated system 
registers that avoid the need to save 
user registers. 

ARM'S extremely high processor-to- 
memory bandwidth is achieved by the 
wide nonmultiplexed data and ad- 
dress buses and the quite modest cy- 
cle time (150 nanoseconds) and there- 
fore does not need to employ expen- 
sive static-memory parts. The chip has 
control signals that can extract 30 per- 



392 BYTE* JANUARY 1986 



Inquiry 27 



BYTE U.K. 



cent extra performance from cheap 
4-MHz dynamic RAMs (random-access 
read/write memories) by exploiting 
page-mode cycles. 

Software 

Unlike most new chips, ARM is 
already quite well supplied with soft- 
ware. Acorn has a small concurrent 
operating system running on the chip, 
derived from that on the BBC com- 
puter. Acorn showed me a BBC BASIC 
interpreter and a LISP compiler work- 
ing with a windowing full-screen edi- 
tor. Compilers for BCPL and Modula-2 
are also available, while G Pascal, 
FORTRAN, and Prolog are all in the 
works to cater to the scientific and ar- 
tificial intelligence communities. 

Acorn's business division, one of 
the new departments that were set up 
after the takeover by Olivetti, is 
responsible for the design and 
manufacture of ARM, but it is rather 



tight-lipped about current marketing 
plans. Clearly, Acorn will use ARM in 
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be available soon and that it will be 
selling the chip to other OEMs (ori- 
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several of whom have had evaluation 
units for some time. 

Conclusion 

The Acorn story nearly ended early 
in 1985, when the City of London 
panicked and drove Acorn's share- 
price (i.e., stock price) down through 
the floorboards during the post- 
Christmas computer-sales holocaust. 
The Italian company Olivetti rescued 
Acorn and now has a majority share- 
holding. Informed rumor contends 
that the Olivetti people didn't know 
about the ARM project when the 
rescue was first launched; if that is 



true, they must have been pleased 
when they found out. 

In ARM, Acorn/Olivetti has one of 
the first commercial RISC processors 
in the world and an exceptionally able 
one. ARM could revolutionize the per- 
formance of even modestly priced 
home computers. It represents a strik- 
ing vindication of the RISC philosophy 
in terms of performance, the time it 
took to develop, and its ease and low 
manufacturing cost. 

Regular readers of this column may 
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RISC processors, and it's a source of 
some vicarious pride to me that by 
the time you read this column, three 
powerful examples of the breed, all 
designed in Britain, will be available. 
In addition to Acorn's ARM announce- 
ment, the INMOS Transputer was 
launched on October I, 1985, and the 
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JANUARY 1986 'BYTE 393 




COMMON SENSE IN DATABASE MANAGEMENT"" : '' 
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394 BYTE • JANUARY 1986 



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JANUARY 1986 -BYTE 395 



AT&rs 

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© 1985 AT&T Information Systems 
396 BYTE- JANUARY 1986 



AT&T 

The right choice. 




MATHEMATICAL 
RECREATIONS 



Euclid's Algorithm 



GCDs, 



LCMs ; and 



decimals 



by Robert T. 
Kurosaka 



In my last installment in November, I 
examined fractions that form repeating 
decimals. This month, I am going the 
other way and will look at how to represent 
repeating repeating decimals as fractions. I concluded 
the November column with a presentation 
of the algorithm for converting repeating 
decimals to fractions. This month's column 
will include a program to implement that 
algorithm, which is shown in figure 1. 

The most irritating part of the algorithm 
is step 5, reducing the fraction to lowest 
terms. Just how do we do that? First, we 
must find a common divisor, an integer that 
divides into both the numerator and the de- 
nominator. (For this column, "divides into" 
also implies "without remainder.") Although 
24/30 can be reduced to 12/15 by dividing 
the numerator and denominator by 2, we 
must reduce again to 4/5 by dividing 
through by 3. However I'm sure we all saw 
that the greatest common divisor (GCD) was 
6 and reduced the fraction in one step. As 
the numerator and denominator get larger, 
it becomes more difficult to determine what 
divides into them. 

There are a surprisingly large number of 
folkways for finding divisors of large num- 
bers. Everyone knows that a number is 
divisible by 2 if its last (rightmost) digit is 
divisible by 2. A number is divisible by 4 
if the last two digits are divisible by 4. For 
example, 7536 is divisible by 4 since 36 is 
divisible by 4. This basic pattern can be ex- 
tended to higher powers of 2: A number is 
divisible by 8 if its last three digits form a 
number divisible by 8, and so on. 

Similarly we all know that a number is 
divisible by 5 if it ends in or 5. A number 
is divisible by 2 5 if its last two digits are 
divisible by 2 5, by 12 5 if the final three-digit 
number is divisible by 12 5, etc. 

As 1 mentioned in the last column, 2 and 

5 are special cases in base 10, so it's not 

Robert t. Kurosaka teaches surpr j s j n g that we can't generalize this to 

mathematics in the Massachusetts i . i_ . i_ c ~ i r 

state college system. He invites numbers other than powers o 2 and 5. 

your correspondence do byte, However, there are some methods for other 

pob 372. Hancock, nh 03449. numbers. I'll briefly run down the list of 



techniques for other numbers up to 9. 

A number is divisible by 3 if the sum of 
its digits is divisible by 3. For example, 
312,798 is divisible by 3 since 3+ I +2 + 7 + 9 
+ 8 = 30. Further, i t i s divisible by 6 because 
any even number that is divisible by 3 is 
divisible by 6. A number is divisible by 9 
if the sum of its digits is divisible by 9. Thus, 
312,798 is not divisible by 9, but 312,795 
is (3+1+2 + 7 + 9+5 = 27). 

The test for divisibility by 7 is rather amus- 
ing: "Detach" the last digit and double it, 
then subtract the result from the rest of the 
number. If the answer is divisible by 7, the 
original number is divisible by 7. For exam- 
ple (not that this method needs any clarifi- 
cation), to test 378, we detach the 8 and 
double it, then subtract 16 from 37. Since 
the answer, 21, is divisible by 7, so is 378. 
TYy a larger number, 33,929. Detach the 9, 
double it, and subtract from 3392, giving 
3374. Now, is 3374 divisible by 7? You don't 
know? Apply the test to 3374. (Why is no 
one laughing?) 

Before giving up on these strange tests, 
let's look at 1 1. The divisibility test for 1 1 
is a bit complicated but rather impressive. 
Add every other (alternate) digit in the 
number; add the remaining digits; if the dif- 
ference of the two sums is divisible by 1 1, 
the number is divisible by 1 1. In 9,370,845, 
the first sum is 9 + 7+8+5 = 29, and the sec- 
ond sum is 3 + 0+4=7. Since their dif- 
ference, 22, is divisible by II, the entire 
number is divisible by 1 1. Note also that the 
sum of all the digits is 36, which is divisible 
by 9, and that the number ends in 5. Hence, 
with simple eyeballing, you can be the hit 
of the party by announcing that 9,3 70,84 5 
is divisible by 495 (11x9x5). 

Similar to our last example, you can deter- 
mine that a number is divisible by 100 by 
applying our rules for divisibility by 4 and 
2 5. (What? You have an easier way?) Well, 
perhaps you're beginning to feel that we 
need a more general method for finding 
common divisors of fractions. Our first im- 

[continued] 



JANUARY 1986 -BYTE 397 



EUCLID 



1. Let x equal the decimal: 


x = 0.7363636. . . 


2. Multiply the equation by 


100 x = 73.6363636. . . 


10- (# of digits in the cycle) 




3. Subtract 1. from 2. 


99 x = 72.9 


4. Solve for x 


x m 72.9/99 = 729/990 


5. Reduce the fraction 


x = 81/110 



Figure 1: The steps in converting repeating decimals to fractions. 



(a) 




(b) 




(c) 






1581 


1 


i 

153 


10 


51 


3 




1734 


1581 


153 




1581 




1530 




153 




153 


51 













- 







Figure 2 : Step-by-step application of Euclid's algorithm to the problem of finding the 
greatest common divisor of 1734 and 1581. 



pulse is to use prime factorization. 
This is certainly a correct approach, 
but most prime-factorization subrou- 
tines are cumbersome or time-con- 
suming. I will show you a delightfully 
direct method of finding the GCD of 
two numbers that is easily pro- 
grammed and requires no guessing, 
no trial and error, and no prime fac- 
torization. This remarkable method is 
called Euclid's algorithm. 

Let us reduce the fraction 
1581/1734. The steps* are 

1. Divide the larger number by the 
smaller. In figure 2a. 1734/1581 = 1 
with a remainder of 153. 

2 . 1 f the remainder i s not 0, divide the 
divisor by the remainder. In figure 2 b, 
1 581/153= 10 with a remainder of 5 1 . 

3. Repeat step 2 until a remainder 
occurs. In figure 2c, 153/51 =3 with a 
remainder of 0. 



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398 B YTE • JANUARY 1986 



Inquiry 1 1 3 



Inquiry 86 



EUCLID 



The last divisor is the GCD of the two 
numbers (most texts call it the last 
nonzero remainder). In figure 2c the 
last divisor is 51. Therefore, the GCD 
of 1581 and 1734 is 51. And. sure 
enough the fraction reduces to 3 1/34. 
An obvious but necessary remark: If 
the GCD is I. the two numbers are 
relatively prime; the fraction is already 



expressed in lowest terms. 

Listing 1 offers a program that 
reduces a fraction to lowest terms by 
Euclid's algorithm. {Editor's note: The 
Microsoft BASIC listings in this column are 
available for downloading from BYTEnet List- 
ings at (617) 861-9764.] 

An annoyance related to reducing 
fractions arises when adding or sub- 



tracting fractions with unequal de- 
nominators. We need to find the least 
common denominator (LCD). Before 
finishing our cyclic decimal-to- 
reduced-fraction routine, let's take a 
side trip to shine some light on LCDs. 
In 1 19 + 5/1 2 , we see that the LCD is 
36. But precisely what are we seeing? 

[continued) 



Listing 1: A BASIC program using Euclid's algorithm to reduce a fraction to its lowest terms. The routine begins at line 310 
so that, when listing 3 is merged with it, the unnecessary lines (310 to 410) are overwritten. 



EUCLID'S ALGORITHM FOR GREATEST COMMON DIVISORS 
BY ROBERT T. KUROSAKA 



******** 



310 '******* 

320 '* 

330 '* 

340 '******* 

350 CLS 

360 PRINT "This program calculates the greatest common divisor" 

370 PRINT "of a positive fraction" 

380 PRINT "and reduces the fraction to lowest terms." 

390 PRINT PRINT 

400 INPUT "ENTER THE FRACTION'S NUMERATOR";NUM:NUM =ABS(NUM) 

410 INPUT "ENTER THE FRACTION'S DENOMINATOR";DEN;DEN =ABS(DEN) 

420 DIVISOR = NUM:DIVIDEND = DEN 'SAVE ORIGINAL VALUES FOR LATER DISPLAY 

430 REM IF EITHER TERM IS NOT A WHOLE NUMBER, CLEAR THE DECIMAL. 

440 IF DIVISORolNT(DMSOR) OR DIVIDENDolNT(DIVIDEND) THEN DIVISOR = DIVISOR* 10: 

DIVIDEND = DIVIDEND* 10:NUM « DIVISOR:DEN = DIVIDEND:GOTO 440 
450 IF DIVIS0R>DIVIDEND THEN SWAP DIVISOR, DIVIDEND 
460 WHILE DIVISOR>0 

470 QUOTIENT = INT(DIVIDEND/DIVISOR) 

480 REMAINDER = DIVIDEND - DIVISOR*QUOTIENT 

490 DIVIDEND = DIVISOR:DIVISOR = REMAINDER 

500 WEND 
510 PRINT PRINT 

520 PRINT "THE FRACTION ";NUM;"/";DEN;" HAS A GCD OF ";DIVIDEND 
530 IF DIVIDEND = 1 THEN PRINT "THE FRACTION IS ALREADY IN LOWEST TERMS.":GOTO 

560 
540 PRINT "THE REDUCED FRACTION IS: ,J ;NUM/DIVIDEND;" /";DEN/DIVIDEND; 
550 IF DEN/DIVIDEND=1 THEN PRINT " = ";NUM/DIVIDEND 
560 END 



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m 



JANUARY 1986 -BYTE 399 



EUCLID 



The LCD is the smallest integer that 
is evenly divisible by both denomina- 
tors. To put it another way, the LCD 
is the least common multiple (LCM) of 
the denominators. While any com- 



mon multiple of 9 and 12 will suffice 
for adding the fractions (e.g., their 
product, 108), we prefer the least 
value because it will simplify reduc- 
ing the fraction later. 



(a) 


3 6 8 


(b) 
3 


1 2 8 


(c) 
2 


1 1 4 


(d) 
4 


1 1 1 


3 


9 18 24 


3 6 8 


1 2 8 


1 1 4 



Figure 3: Finding the least common multiple of three numbers using triple division. 



With larger denominators, the task 
of finding the LCD becomes increas- 
ingly difficult. In 5/12 and 3/14, it is not 
easily seen that the LCD is 84. Many 
methods have been devised for find- 
ing the LCD, most of which require 
prime factorization. One rather mys- 
tical method works for any number of 
denominators. 

Suppose we want the LCM of 9, 18, 
and 24. Find a common divisor for all 
three numbers, if possible. If not, find 
a common divisor for any two of 
them, if possible. (If not, the numbers 
are relatively prime; the LCM is mere- 
ly the product of the three numbers.) 



Listing 2: A BASIC program to find the least common multiple of a set of numbers using Euclid's algorithm. 



LEAST COMMON MULTIPLE ALGORITHM 
BY ROBERT T. KUROSAKA 



20 '* 

30 '* 

50CLS 

60 PRINT "This program calculates the least common multiple" 
70 PRINT "of a set of positive integers." 
80 PRINT 

90 INPUT "HOW MANY INTEGERS ARE IN THE SET";TERMS:TERMS = INT(ABS(TERMS)) 
100 IF TERMS<2THEN 400 

110 REM NUMBER ARRAY HOLDS THE SET OF INTEGERS FOR WHICH THE LCM IS SOUGHT. 
120 DIM NUMBER(TERMS) 

130 PRINT :PRINT "ENTER THE INTEGERS ONE AT A TIME." 
140 FOR 1 = 1 TO TERMS 
150 INPUT NUMBER(I) 

160 NUMBER(I) = INT(ABS(NUMBER(I))) 

170 IF NUMBER(l) = THEN PRINT "ILLEGAL ENTRY. ":GOTO 150 

180 NEXT I 

190 REM BEGIN LCM PROCEDURE. 

200 LCM = NUMBER(1) THE LCM OF A SINGLE NUMBER IS ITSELF. 

210 FOR l = 2 TO TERMS 

220 REM FIND GCD OF ACTIVE ENTRY AND WHAT PRECEDED IT (GCD WILL BE STORED 

IN 'DIVIDEND' BECAUSE LINE 290 ASSIGNS LAST VALID DIVISOR TO DIVIDEND). 
230 DIVISOR = NUMBER(I):DIVIDEND = LCM 

240 REM LINES 250-300 ARE THE SAME AS 450-500 OF THE GCD ROUTINE. 

250 IF DIVISOR> DIVIDEND THEN SWAP DIVISOR.DIVIDEND 

260 WHILE DIVISOR>0 

270 QUOTIENT = INT(DIVIDEND/DIVISOR) 

280 REMAINDER = DIVIDEND - DIVISOR'QUOTIENT 

290 DIVIDEND = DIVISOR:DIVISOR = REMAINDER 

300 WEND 

310 LCM = NUMBER(I)*LCM/DIVIDEND 

320 REM THE LAST LCM WILL BE LCM OF ALL THE ENTRIES. 

330 NEXT I 
340 PRINT :PRINT 

350 PRINT "THE LEAST COMMON MULTIPLE OF"; 
360 FOR 1 = 1 TO TERMS 
370 PRINT NUMBER(I); 

380 NEXT I 
390 PRINT "IS";LCM 
400 END 



400 BYTE • JANUARY 1986 



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EUCLID 



We will perform a triple division on 
these three numbers. In figure 3a, we 
divide the common divisor 3 into all 
three numbers. Note that we did not 
divide the first two numbers by 9 
because our precedence of rules re- 
quires us to first look for divisors of 
all the numbers. 

Next, we repeat the procedure for 
the three quotients: 3, 6, and 8. The 
first two are divisible by 3 again (figure 
3b). Important: If the divisor does not 
divide into a particular number, mere- 
ly copy the number. In figure 3b, the 
8 is brought up. This procedure is 
repeated until all the quotients are Is. 
In figure 3c, the 2 and 8 are divided 
by 2, with the I being brought up. 
Finally, in figure 3d, we divide by 4 • 
and obtain all Is in the quotients. The 
LCM is the product of all the divisors 
used. That is, the LCM of 9, 18, and 
24 is 3x3x2x4 = 72. 

You might enjoy trying to write a 
program to implement this method. 
There is, however, yet another method 
for finding the LCM, and, not surpris- 
ingly, it employs Euclid's algorithm. 

The LCM of two numbers a and b is 
the product of the numbers divided 
by their GCD. That is, l£M(a,b) = 
axblGCD(a.b). This becomes apparent 
if we look at a simple example: 1 and 
14. Their product, 140, is a multiple, 
but it isn't the smallest one. Since 
10=2x5 and 14 = 2x7, their LCM 
needs only 2x5x7, while their prod- 
uct is 2x5x2x7. Dividing by their 
GCD of 2 eliminates the overlap. In 
the language of elementary set 
theory, the LCM is the union of the 
two sets of factors. The formula above 
instructs us to "add" the two sets 
together and then "subtract" their 
intersection. 

Since we already have the GCD pro- 
gram, we are only one step away from 
finding the LCM of two numbers. 
That's the good news. The bad news 
is that this method works only with 
two numbers at a time. To find the 
LCM of three or more numbers (say, 
8. 10, and 14), we first find the LCM 
of 8 and 10 (40) and then find the 
LCM of 40 and 14 (280). This is no 
problem for a computer, but you may 
feel that it is less efficient than our 



I use strings, of 
course, because you 
can't directly enter 
a repeating decimal 
into the computer. 



triple-division approach. Anyway, 
listing 2 presents my version of the 
LCM routine using Euclid's algorithm. 

Finally, we are ready to return to our 
initial problem of converting a 
repeating decimal to a fraction. Listing 
3 shows my routine for doing steps I 
through 4 of figure I . The program is 
mostly a lot of string-handling. 1 use 
strings, of course, because you can't 
directly enter a repeating decimal into 

the computer. So I use a " " to 

signify where the cyclic part begins 
and enter the number through one 
iteration of the cycle. This is 
analogous to the way of writing 
repeating decimals like 0.333 .. . as 
0.3 . Not only are you unable to enter 
repeating decimals into the computer, 
the computer is unable to hold any 
infinite series. However, the point of 
step 3 is to get rid of the cyclic part. 
All of the action in the method hap- 
pens in the nonrepeating part and the 
first iteration of the cycle. So that is 
all that we use in our program. 

The only really interesting part of 
this routine is in line 420. After I find 
the value of the unreduced fraction's 
numerator and denominator, I convert 
the values into strings and then back 
to numbers. Why? 

When I first tried writing the routine 
in listing 3, I used the number 0.736 
as one of my test cases. The routine 
displayed the numerator value as 72.9 
and the denominator value as 99. 
However, when I merged the routine 
with listing 1, I got strange results. It 
seems that Microsoft BASIC'S guard 
digits were nonzero, so when the GCD 
routine tried to clear the decimal from 
the 72.9, the fraction became 7.29x 

{continued) 



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JANUARY 1986 -BYTE 401 



EUCLID 



Listing 3: A BASIC program to convert a cyclic decimal number into an unreduced fraction. You can merge this program 
with listing 1 to make a complete implementation of the algorithm in figure I . 



10 '**"* 
20 '* 
30 '* 
40 ■**** 

50CLS 
60 PRINT 
70 PRINT 
80 PRINT 



REPEATING DECIMAL TO FRACTION CONVERTING ROUTINE 
BY ROBERT T. KUROSAKA 



This routine can be used with the greatest common denominator" 
program. Load the GCD program, then MERGE this routine into it." 
The MERGEd program is designed to determine the reduced fractional" 
90 PRINT "representation of a repeating decimal.":PRINT 
100 PRINT "To ENTER a repeating decimal:": 

PRINT " Type the nonrepeating part, then a ' ' before the cycle." 

110 PRINT "For example, 1.2_345 is the proper entry for 1.2345345345. . . " 

120 PRINT "The decimal should always precede the ' ', i.e., .333. ... is entered": 

PRINT "as ' 3'. Reversing the V and ' ' will cause an error.":PRINT 

130 INPUT "ENTER REPEATING DECIMAL";NUMBER$ 

140 REM NONREPEATING PART OF NUMBER IS THAT PART UP TO * _". VAL OPERATOR 

IGNORES ALL NUMBERS AFTER A NONNUMERICAL CHARACTER. THUS, IN 

1.2_345,VAL("1.2_345") WILL BE 1.2, ETC. 
150 NONREPEATING.PART = ABS(VAL(NUMBER$)) 
160 REM DEFINE A MORE READABLE FUNCTION TO USE FOR THROWING THE LEFTMOST 

CHARACTER OF A STRING AWAY. 
170 DEF FNDROP.LEFT$(A$) = RIGHT$(A$,LEN(A$)-1) 
180 REM FIND DECIMAL POINT 
190 WHILE LEFT$(NUMBER$,1) <> "." 
200 NUMBERS = FNDROP.LEFT$(NUMBER$) 

210 WEND 

220NUMBER$ = FNDROP.LEFT$(NUMBER$) 
230 REM FIND OUT HOW MANY DECIMAL PLACES THE REPEATING CYCLE IS OFFSET FROM 

THE DECIMAL POINT. 
240 WHILE LEFT$(NUMBER$,1) < > "_" 
250 OFFSET = OFFSET+1 

260 NUMBER$= FNDROP.LEFT$(NUMBER$) 

270 WEND 

280 REM THROW AWAY REPEATING PORTION MARKER, "_" 
290 NUMBER$= FNDROP.LEFT$(NUMBER$) 
300 REM HOW MANY DECIMAL PLACES ARE IN THE CYCLE? SINCE THE REPEATING CYCLE 

IS EVALUATED AFTER THROWING AWAY THE DECIMAL POINT, MULTIPLY BY 

10" -(TOTAL NUMBER OF PLACES TO THE RIGHT IT SHOULD BE SHIFTED). 
31 CYCLE.LENGTH = LEN(NUMBERS) 

320 REPEATING.CYCLE = VAL(NUMBER$)*10~ - (OFFSET + CYCLE.LENGTH) 
330 REM NUMBER= NONREPEATING PART+ REPEATING CYCLE. SINCE THE FIRST 

ITERATION OF THE CYCLE IS THE ONLY ONE THAT DOES NOT CANCEL ON 

SUBTRACTION, ONLY USE IT. 
340 NUMBER = NONREPEATING.PART+REPEATING.CYCLE 
350 REM "CLEARED.NUMBER IS THE VALUE OF THE SUBTRACTION THAT DOES AWAY WITH 

THE INFINITE CYCLE (STEP 3 IN THE BYTE ARTICLE ALGORITHM). 
360 CLEARED.NUMBER=NUMBER*10~CYCLE.LENGTH- NONREPEATING. PART 
370 REM NOW, ASSIGN THE VALUES OF THE NUMERATOR AND DENOMINATOR TO THE 

VARIABLE NAMES USED IN THE GCD ROUTINE. 
380 NUM = CLEARED. NUMBER:DEN = 10" CYCLE.LENGTH - 1 
390 REM I CONVERT NUM AND DEN TO STRINGS AND THEN BACK TO CLEAR THE GUARD 

DIGITS IN THE NUM AND DEN VARIABLES. SEE BYTE ARTICLE FOR DETAILS. 
400 NUM$ = STR$(NUM):DEN$ = STR$(DEN):NUM = VAL(NUM$):DEN = VAL(DEN$) 
410 PRINT "THE EQUIVALENT UNREDUCED FRACTION IS:";NUM;'7";DEN 



IO 7 before the decimal-clearing 
routine gave up in disgust. By convert- 
ing the values calculated in listing 3 
to string values, I clear the guard-digit 
garbage out of the numerical repre- 



sentation. When I then reconvert the 
values into numbers, the GCD routine 
functions properly. 

As always, I welcome your com- 
ments, criticisms, and suggestions. I've 



been getting some interesting mail on 
previous columns and will devote 
some space in an upcoming column 
to some of the more interesting in- 
sights. ■ 



402 BYTE • JANUARY 1986 



CIRCUIT CELLAR FEEDBACK 



Conducted by Steve Garcia 



Museum Control 

Dear Steve. 

I have used the BSR X-l system to con- 
trol a museum exhibit. One problem 1 en- 
countered, which an engineer at BSR con- 
firmed, was that the lamp modules would 
not properly control low-wattage light 
bulbs (25 watts or less). Do you have any 
ideas about how 1 can get around this 
problem cheaply? 

Also, what happens if two controllers 
send commands at the same time? For ex- 
ample, controller x sends an ON command 
to unit A3 at the same time controller y 
sends an OFF command to unit B2. 
Wouldn't a hopelessly jumbled signal 
result? 

Timothy S. Goodfellow 
Raleigh, NC 

Your letter does not state what prob- 
lems you experienced with lamp 
modules controlling low-wattage bulbs, 
so it is hard to give you an exact answer. 
During development of the Home Run 
Control System (April through June 1 985), 
1 did a lot of testing using a 7 -watt night- 
light, and the lamp modules were able 
to turn it on, off, and dim it correctly. 
Perhaps BSR has improved the modules 
since you experienced the problem. One 
solution would be to use higher-wattage 
bulbs and dim them to the level that you 
want (The Home Run system can do this 
for you automatically.) 

You are quite right that two BSR con- 
trollers transmitting simultaneously 
would result in a jumbled signal. The BSR 
works by sending bursts of 120 kHz at 
2.778-millisecond intervals in a pattern 
that the modules decode. (See my arti- 
cle in the May 1985 BYTE for details on 
BSR operation.) If a second controller 
starts transmitting after the first has 
started, the timing between the pulses 
would be altered, and the modules would 
not be able to decode the signal.— Steve 



Looking for a UART 

Dear Steve. 

1 am an electronics student who is plan- 
ning to build a scrolling LED display 
similar to your April 1984 project. 

I plan to use my 8085 minisystem with 



2 K bytes of EPROM and 1 K byte of RAM. 
The user will be able to enter messages 
through an ASCII keyboard. Could you 
please let me know where 1 can purchase 
an inexpensive UART. so that the message 
is transmitted serially to the display? 

Also, would the Hewlett-Packard "union 
jack 1-inch" 16-character display be more 
cost-efficient and less complex to build 
than the one in your project? 

Michael Sarrett 
San Francisco, CA 

You can purchase a UART from most 
of the mail-order electronics supply 
houses. The Intersil IM6402IPL costs 
$6.90 as Digi-Key part number 
NT5000-ND. Order from 

Digi-Key Corporation 

Highway 32 South 

POB 677 

Thief River Falls, MN 56701 

(800) 346-5144 

Any common- anode dot-matrix LED 
display can be used in place of the single 
LEDs used in my project as long as it has 
a sufficient dot matrix (5 dots per row by 
7 dots per column). The electronics can 
be modified to handle larger or smaller 
LED matrices.— Steve 



Parallel Processing 

Dear Steve. 

In your article "Build the Microvox Text- 
to-Speech Synthesizer" (September and 
October 1982). you stated that the more 
sophisticated text-to-speech programs re- 
quired up to 80K bytes of memory, half 
of which contains words that are excep- 
tions to the rules. It has occurred to me 
that if such a program were implemented 
on a single microprocessor, even a fast 
and powerful one, the time required to 
generate speech would be prohibitive. 
Would it be possible to run several pro- 
cessors in parallel, one containing the 
rules and several others containing words 
that are exceptions to the rules? 

Also, in "The Lis'ner 1000" (November 
1984), the caption for photo 4 states that 
64 concurrent available words form a 
reasonable search vocabulary Are more 
possible? If not, could parallel processing 



be used to overcome this problem? 

Alan Aden 
Camp Point, 1L 

Parallel processing is the wave of the 
future. Supercomputers are rapidly ap- 
proaching the upper limit of speed for 
a single processor, and the only way to 
solve a problem any faster is to put 
several processors to work on the prob- 
lem in parallel. The way to accomplish 
this in the manner you suggest is feasi- 
ble but may not gain much speed. Look- 
ing up an item in a sorted table can be 
done rapidly by using a binary search 
and even faster if a technique called 
hashing is used. A table having 8000 en- 
tries would require 13 tests to find the 
desired word. Splitting the table in half 
and putting each half on a separate pro- 
cessor would reduce the number of tests 
to 12 on each processor— not much of a 
gain. The greatest gain would be to have 
one processor performing a text-to- 
speech algorithm while a second one 
searches for the word. If the word is 
found in the search, the text-to-speech 
algorithm would be stopped and the 
word from the table fed into the synthe- 
sizer. 

Your second idea of applying parallel 
processors to speech recognition could 
increase the number of words it could 
recognize almost linearly with the 
number of processors you have working 
on the input word. The only problem you 
might encounter would be when two or 
more processors think they have a match, 
and another processor would have to 
pick one of the candidates.— Steve ■ 



Over the years 1 have presented many dif- 
ferent, projects in BYTE. I know many of you 
have built them and are making use of them 
in many ways. 

1 am interested in hearing from any of you 
telling me what you've done with these projects 
or how you may have been influenced by the 
basic ideas. Write me at Circuit Cellar Feed- 
back, POB 582, Glastonbury, CT 06033. 
and fill me in on your applications. All letters 
and photographs become the property of Steve 
Garcia and cannot be returned. 



COPYRIGHT © 1986 STEVEN A. GARCIA. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. 



JANUARY 1986 -BYTE 403 



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JANUARY 1986 -BYTE 405 




"When I was growing up, I was the quickest 
kid on the block. But the streets were catching 
up with me. I'm sure glad there was a Boys 
Club around to help keep me a step ahead. 

"You know, a Boys Club shows kids there 
are lots of ways to reach goals, besides scoring 
touchdowns. It gives them every chance to be 
leaders. And encourages something every bit 
as important as good leadership— 
good citizenship. 

"They sure pointed me in the right 
direction, and I've been running my 
life ever since — running through boys 




lines, running through airports. Now I'm even 
running my own business! 

"It's no wonder so many Boys Club kids 
grow into productive, civic-minded adults, like 
teachers, politicians, business executives and 
professional athletes. Which gives more than 
1,200,000 young people, at 1,100 Boys Club 
facilities across the country, something to look 
forward to. 

"Hey, I'm not saying a Boys Club 
can turn every kid into a star. But a 
Boys Club sure can teach 'em how to 
club reach for one." 



The Club that beats the streets. 



406 B YTE • JANUARY 1986 



Inquiry 66 



LETTERS 



(continued from page 32) 

Intel has adhered to two of the unwritten rules of benchmark- 
ing. It used benchmarks developed outside Intel and contracted 
an outside company to run the benchmarks on its machines. 
What Intel did not do is have the results interpreted by an ob- 
jective, independent party. 

Intel did contact me prior to publication of the report, but only 
for permission to reprint the listings (which the company trimmed 
the comments out of) and not in an advisory capacity. I gave 
the company reprint permission. I expected that the benchmarks 
would be used carefully and according to the guidelines of my 
article. Clearly Intel could have avoided the problems mentioned 
above if it had had an outside independent party evaluate its 
benchmarking methodology and its interpretation of results. At 
first. I was upset that Intel did not reference me as author of 
the BYTE benchmarks. Upon reflection, I am glad it did not. 

David Hinnant 
Research Triangle Park, NC 

Positioning Printer Paper 

Part of my job as an electronics technician requires me to make 
considerable use of computers and printers. Additionally. I am 
the owner of a personal computer. Something that I (and I'm 
sure, many others) have noticed is how difficult it is to get the 
paper positioned "just so" when first loading it into the printer, 
so that the printer doesn't print on the perforations, the spac- 
ing is right from top to bottom, etc. I think I may have a solution 
to the problem, which I would like to suggest to the printer and 
paper/forms manufacturers. 

My suggestion is that the printer makers get together with the 
manufacturers of paper and forms and devise/implement a 
method for advancing paper/forms to the top of the sheet. I'm 
aware that some printers have a top-of-form function, but this 
is usually a variant of a formfeed. What I propose is a method 
of advancing the paper until the first printable line is under the 
print head, regardless of sheet size or position. 

I've given the matter quite some thought, and I think that this 
could be implemented fairly easily by using the following scheme. 

During the manufacturing process for the paper, a dark band 
or spot would be printed on the paper (between feed holes) 
some distance from the top of the sheet. This should be fairly 
easy to do since most paper I've seen has the manufacturer's 
name already printed on it. and this band or spot would be easily 
added. 

Then, on the printers, a sensor (possibly an MCA-7 optical sen- 
sor) would be placed in such a position as to detect that dark 
band/spot when the first printable line is under the print head, 
judging from the number of printers I've seen, this would prob- 
ably be located in the area immediately under the platen of the 
printer, perhaps two or three inches lower than the print head. 
Such a distance would allow the use of full-sized paper, as well 
as formfeed checks, etc. ' 

By using such a technique, when a top-of-form button was 
pressed (or command issued) the paper would advance ap- 
propriately and stop. Such a system might even prove to be a 
replacement for the more traditional formfeed command/but- 
ton, since it would reliably position the paper/form every time 
(regardless of sheet size), even after paper/form changes or com- 
pletely powering down the printer. 

I would be happy to hear any comments, suggestions, and 
criticisms BYTE readers might have about this idea. 

David K. Merriman 
Fullerton, CA ■ 



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$1295 
$2295 
$3295 
$3595 



GRAPHIC BOARDS 

Hercules Monochrome $299 

Hercules Color Card $159 

TecmarGraphicsMasler $449 

Paradise Graphics $279 

STBGraphixJI $279 
Hercules Compalible MONO $135. 
FLOPPY DRIVES 

TEAC1/2HTFD55B $119 

Mitsubishi96TPI $125 

5"DSDDCotorDisket1es S 21 

ALL PRICES SUBJECT TO CHANGE AND STOCK ON HAND 

CompuPro is a Registered Trademark ol Viasyn, CPU Z, Disk 1A, Disk 3. InteHacer 3, Interfacer 4„ CPU 286, CPU 8085/86, 
System Support 1, MDRtVE-H, Ram 22, Ram 23 are trademarks or registered trademarks of Viasyn. CP/M 2.2. CCP/M, are 
registered trademarks of Digital Research Inc. MSDOS is a registered trademark of Microsott. Systemaster & Systemaster II are 
registered trademarks ot Teletek Enterprises. Turbodos Is registered trademark of Software 2000. IBM is a registered trademark 
of International Business Machines. AutoCad 2 is a registered trademark of AutoDesk. Inc. 



MONITORS 




Amdex31GA 


S159 


Princeton Color HR -12 


$459 


Princeton ColorSR-12 


$649 


286ACCELERATOR 




TurboAccel-286 8 MHZ 


$895 


MULTI-FUNCTION BOARDS 




AST6 Pak64K 


$245 


Quadram Expanded Ouadboard K 


$219 


TecmarCaptain64K 


$199 



HARDDRIVEKITS 

PC10MBPC 
PC21MBPC 
AT21MBAT 
AT36MBAT 
AT 70MB AT 
AT 80MB AT 
AT1I9MBAT 
PCFIpy Controller 
AT SER/POR. 



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96TPI Za 1 ?? 

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COD. orders add 2^ for special handling. SHIPPING 5 3^4 5^" Diskettes; 
Add 3^ for every 100 Diskettes or any fraction thereof. 8"Diskettes; Add 
4°? for every 100 Diskettes or any fraction thereof. We ship UPS; orders 
requiring other delivery methods add shipping, plus 2% of total order. 



Inquiry 107 



JANUARY 1986 'BYTE 407 



4 



WHAT'S NEW 



NEW SYSTEMS 



PC-Compatible 
Kaypro 

The Kaypro PC is an MS- 
DOS machine based on 
a 4.77-MHz Intel 8088 
microprocessor, with a 
socket for the Intel 8087 
math coprocessor. It comes 
with 2 56K bytes of RAM. 
expandable to 640K bytes, 
two double-density 360K- 
byte floppy-disk drives, and 
room for either a full- or 
half-height hard-disk drive. 
Its multivideo adapter sup- 
ports monochrome, color 
graphics, and composite 
video output. System boards 
use three of the nine IBM 
PC-compatible expansion 
slots, leaving the user with 
three full-length and three 
half-length slots. Its 132-watt 
power supply can support a 
hard disk. It has both serial 
and parallel ports. 

The Kaypro PC comes with 
a 12-inch monochrome 
monitor and an IBM 
Selectric-style detachable 
keyboard with the same 
layout as the Kaypro 286i 
and PC AT keyboards. 

Kaypro is bundling MS- 
DOS 2.11, WordStar. Mail- 
merge, CorrectStar, Star- 
Index. MITE, Polywindows/ 
KDESK, and GW-BASIC with 
the system. It costs $1595. 
Contact Kaypro Corp., 533 
Stevens Ave.. Solana Beach, 
CA 92075. (619) 481-4300. 
Inquiry 565. 



Single Board VS 186 

Virtual Systems' VS-186 
is a PC-DOS-com- 
patible, single-board com- 
puter that can accept up to 
512 K bytes of ROM and up 
to 1 -megabyte of parity- 
checked RAM. The 8/2- by 
II -inch computer board is 
aimed at the measurement 
and control market and 
therefore is self-contained 
and built to work in extreme 
industrial environments. 




The Kaypro PC. 



Standard operating systems 
for the VS-186 are PC-DOS, 
C/PM-86. and Virtual Sys- 
tems' UNIX-style QNX. 

The VS-186 is founded on 
an 8-MHz 80186 micropro- 
cessor and contains a socket 
for an 8087 math copro- 
cessor. ROMs can be in- 
stalled in six EPROM sites; 
two other ROM sites are oc- 
cupied by the system code. 
The VS-186 comes with 
256K of parity-checked RAM 
controlled by an 8208 mem- 
ory controller chip and ar- 
ranged as two banks, yield- 
ing a no-wait-state system 
that lets the 80186 run at 
full speed. 

The VS-186 has two 
RS-232C serial ports, a pro- 
grammable parallel port, a 
Centronics-compatible paral- 
lel port, a SASI/SCSI inter- 
face for disk and tape 
drives, and a processor-bus 
extension. The serial ports 
are controlled by a dual 
serial-channel controller and 
can operate asynchronously 
or synchronously. Four iSBX 
expansion connectors are 



wired to the 80186's DMA 
channels for high-speed I/O. 
The VS-186's price is $950. 
Contact Virtual Systems. 
Suite 406, 1500 Newell Ave.. 
Walnut Creek. CA 94 596. 
(415) 935-4944. 
Inquiry 566. 

128K Color-Graphics 

Single-Board 

Quark/150 

The Megatel Quark/150 is 
a color-graphics single- 
board computer based on 
the Z80B microprocessor. It 
includes a 128K-byte 
dynamic RAM, two serial 
ports, four parallel ports, a 
floppy-disk controller, and 
RGB video output. The 
floppy-disk controller can 
handle up to four drives of 
any size in any combination. 
The RGB interface can be 
configured 16 different ways 
using three resolution 
modes: 2 colors at 640 by 
by 240. or 16 colors at 160 
by 240. A graphics software 
package with 27 fleleVideo 
TPC I-compatible) functions 
gives you eight fill patterns, 
eight line styles, multiple 
character heights and 



widths, ellipse and arc func- 
tions and lets you change 
the resolution mode for any 
line. 

The Quark/1 50 is a 4- by 
6-inch Eurocard. It comes 
with CP/M 2.2 BIOS, the 
Megatel graphics primitives, 
and a transition board that 
provides an interface to 
standard peripherals for 
$695. Contact Megatel Com- 
puter lechnologies. 2311 
South Anthony Blvd., Fort 
Wayne. IN 46803. or call 
(416) 745-7214. 
Inquiry 567. 

XT-Compatible 
GMS PC/286 

The IBM PC XT- 
compatible Gulfstream 
Micro Systems Professional 
Computer/286 has an 80286 
microprocessor running at 8 
MHz with zero wait states. 
An 80287 numeric copro- 
cessor is optional. The 
system comes with 2 56K 
bytes of on-board memory, 
expandable to 640K on the 
motherboard, and eight ex- 
pansion slots. Video boards, 
ports, and monitors are not 
provided. 

The system is sold in three 
model groups. The first 
group consists of computers 
with one or two 360K-byte 
floppy-disk drives. Model 
Group 2 adds the choice of 
a 10- 20- or 30-megabyte 
hard disk. Model Group 3 
adds a 10- or 60-megabyte 
internal tape backup. 

Prices for Model Group 1 
start at $2995; for Model 
Group 2, $4420; for Model 
Group 3. $5388. Contact 
Gulfstream Micro Systems, 
5500 North Federal Highway. 
Boca Raton. FL 33431. (305) 
994-6500. 
Inquiry 568. 



408 BYTE • JANUARY 1986 



WHAT'S NEW 



PERIPH E R A L S 



Eight-Pen Color 
Plotter from HP 

Hewlett-Packard's Color- 
Pro is an eight-pen 
plotter that can produce 
multicolor pie, bar. and line 
graphs and text charts on 
8/2- by 1 1-inch paper or on 
overhead-projector trans- 
parencies. Its high resolution 
of 0.001 inch is said to give 
it a fine-line quality as much 
as four times better than 
comparable plotters. Such 
resolution improves the 
drawing of both straight 
lines and solid fills. 

The ColorPro moves pens 
at 15.7 inches per second. 
You can select pens from 
the carousel through soft- 
ware or front-panel com- 
mands. Pens in the carousel 
are automatically capped. 
HP offers pens in two 
widths and 10 colors for 
paper. Iransparency pens 
are available in seven colors. 

A slot for ROM cartridges 
lets you expand or 
customize the ColorPro's 
capabilities. An HP graphics- 
enhancement cartridge adds 
a larger buffer and more ad- 
vanced graphics commands. 

Lotus's 1-2-3 and Sym- 
phony Decision Resources' 
Chart-Master and Sign- 
Master, and HP's Graphics 
Gallery and lextcharts are 
some of the programs that 
work with the ColorPro. The 
HP-GL programming lan- 
guage is built into the 
plotter. 

Available with an RS-232C 
or an IEEE-488 interface, the 
ColorPro costs $1295 and 
works with HP, IBM, Apple, 
Compaq, and most other 
personal computers. The 
graphics-enhancement car- 
tridge costs $195. Contact 
Hewlett-Packard, Inquiries 
Manager, 1820 Embarcadero 
Rd., Palo Alto, CA 94303. 
Inquiry 569. 




Matrix's Alliance cluster controller. 



2400-bps Modem 
from UDS 

Universal Data Systems' 
Faslalk 2400 is a Hayes- 
compatible modem that 
connects to your personal 
computer via the RS-232C 
port. It uses V.22 and 
V. 2 2 bis asynchronous 
modulation for full-duplex 
operation at 2400 bps over 
public switched telephone 
networks. It will also work as 
a Bell 2 12 A or 103 series 
modem at 1200 or 300 bps. 

Faslalk 2400 comes with 
an asynchronous communi- 
cations package called 
SignOn for IBM and com- 
patible personal computers. 
SignOn stores up to 100 
phone numbers in a direc- 
tory and dials any one of 
them with a single keystroke. 
You can store automatic log- 
on sequences, and you can 
set dates and times for 
unattended data transfer. 

The Faslalk 2400 modem 
and SignOn cost $62 5. Con- 
tact Universal Data Systems, 
5000 Bradford Dr., Hunts- 
ville. AL 3 5805, (205) 
837-8100. 
Inquiry 570. 

RS-232C Networking 
with Alliance 

The Alliance cluster con- 
troller allows networking 
of 2 to 20 IBM PCs and 
peripherals using standard 



RS-232C serial ports and 
proprietary software. The 
basic Alliance controller in- 
cludes a Hitachi 64180 (an 
enhanced Z80-compatible) 
microprocessor, software 
both in the Alliance and for 
each PC on the network, 
and eight serial ports; addi- 
tional modules with four 
ports each can be added. 
An optional 480K-byte 
printer buffer can also be in- 
stalled, as can a serial-to- 
parallel converter. Informa- 
tion is transferred through 
the network at 115K bits per 
second, which is relatively 
slow compared to other PC 
networks. 

The basic eight-port 
Alliance should be available 
this month for a list price of 
$895. Each four-port expan- 
sion module is $349. Con- 
tact Matrix Communications, 
112-116 Washington St.. 
Marblehead. MA 01945. 
(617) 639-1211. 
Inquiry 571. 

RAM Box for 
Macintosh 

MacVentures' Quick- 
Drive is an external 
RAM-disk box that works 
with the Apple Macintosh. 
The basic QuickDrive con- 
tains 51 OK bytes of RAM 
that is designed to behave 
like a fast disk drive. You 
can get more RAM with the 



1- 1.5- or 2-megabyte ver- 
sions of the device or by 
adding up to three 510K- 
byte expansion modules to 
the basic QuickDrive box. 

You connect QuickDrive to 
the printer port or, for 
Applelalk users, the modem 
port. You can then attach 
your printer to a second 
port on the QuickDrive. 
QuickDrive has its own 
switching power supply, 
which will accept 12 volts 
AC or DC. and a connector 
to tap standard wall voltage. 
Because QuickDrive doesn't 
depend on the Mac for 
power, it retains any infor- 
mation on the RAM disk 
even if the Mac accidently 
loses power or is turned off. 
You don't have to modify 
the Macintosh hardware in 
any way to use QuickDrive. 

QuickDrive does not use 
any of the Macintosh's mem- 
ory space. MacVentures 
claims that it is five to ten 
times faster than floppy-disk 
drives because its data-trans- 
fer rate is greater than 900 
kbps. It also claims Quick- 
Drive can launch MacWrite 
in 7.4 seconds and MacPaint 
in 5.1 seconds. 

QuickDrive comes with a 
menu-driven program that 
lets you configure the size 
and number of disk volumes 
you want to use and lets 
you set up a print spooler 
that can handle printing as a 
background task. 

The basic QuickDrive costs 
$499, has a 90-day warranty, 
and includes 510K of RAM. 
a printer port, a cable, a 
power supply, and the con- 
trolling software. The 
1 -megabyte, 1 . 5-megabyte, 
and 2-megabyte versions of 
QuickDrive cost $649, $799, 
and $949, respectively. The 
5 lOK-byte expansion 
modules cost $169 each. 
Contact MacVentures. POB 
6123, Aloha, OR 97007, 
(503) 64 5-9696. 
Inquiry 572. 

[continued) 



JANUARY 1986 • BYTE 409 



WHAT'S NEW 



A D D - I N S 



10 MHz 80286 Board 
for IBM PC 

Applied Reasoning's PC- 
elevATor Model 2100 
allows the IBM PC to 
operate at up to twice the 
speed of IBM's PC AX by 
adding an 80286 micropro- 
cessor running at 10 MHz 
with no wait states. An op- 
tional 5- or 8-MHz 80287 
floating-point coprocessor 
can also be added to the 
card to speed up computa- 
tion-intensive programs. The 
card also has I megabyte of 
memory. 

The PC-elevATor is priced 
at $2695. For more informa- 
tion, contact Applied 
Reasoning, 765 Concord 
Ave., Cambridge, MA 02138, 
(617) 492-0700. 
Inquiry 573. 

Hardware-assisted 
Bug Zapper 

The Bug Zapper is a 
hardware-assisted de- 
bugging tool for the IBM PC. 
The IBM PC half-slot expan- 
sion card provides a "zap" 
circuit that monitors 
memory addressing and in- 
terrupts a program when it 
overwrites specified loca- 
tions, enabling the program- 
mer to search through 
memory to find out where 
the program went off track. 
Also available at all times is 
a "halt" button, which inter- 
rupts program execution 
even when normal interrupts 
have been disabled, also 
allowing registers and 
memory to be checked to 
locate the cause of un- 
wanted behavior. 

Guardian, the monitor pro- 
gram included with the Bug 
Zapper, is installed at boot 
time; the halt and zap func- 
tions both turn control over 
to the Guardian monitor or 
optionally to another host 







•/■- . 

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Norcom chips for enhanced text. 



debugging program such as 
Microsoft's SYMDEB. Guar- 
dian performs standard 
debugging functions in- 
cluding view or overwrite 
memory or registers, port in- 
put or output, trace, and 
unassemble. 

The Bug Zapper, with both 
the expansion card and 
Guardian, is priced at $19 5. 
For more information, con- 
tact Microtech International, 
9906 Norwood Court, Dept. 
M-3. Largo. MD 20772. (301) 
350-1068. 
Inquiry 574. 

Enhanced Text Mode 
for Heath/Zenith 89 
and 19 

The T-Prom character- 
generator chip from 
Norcom provides an en- 
hanced character set for the 
Heath/Zenith 89, 89 A. 19, 
and 19A computers. The 
replacement character ROM 
chip enhances 94 text char- 
acters, while maintaining 
graphics compatibility by 
not changing any of the 
graphics characters. Another 
chip, the GT-Prom, combines 
the T-Prom features with the 
graphics enhancements of 
Norcom's earlier G-Prom on 
a single chip. 
The T-Prom chip is priced 



at $19.95; the GT-Prom is 
$24.95. For more informa- 
tion, contact Norcom. 9630 
Hayes, Overland Park, KS 
66212, (913) 888-6237. 
Inquiry 575. 

Breadboards for 
Eurocard, PC Buses 

Augat has added two 
breadboards to its Uni- 
layer II product line. The 
company is now offering a 
220-mm dual Eurocard and 
an IBM PC AT-compatible 
board. 

The Eurocard has a high- 
density universal pattern 
and will accommodate up to 
150 16-pin DIP equivalents. 
It has a primary I/O connec- 
tor, two 96-pin DIN connec- 
tors, and an I/O header that 
supports two 64-pin DIN 
connectors. 

The IBM PC AT-compatible 
board also has a high- 
density universal pattern 
and will accommodate 94 
16-pin DIP equivalents. The 
I/O supports the IBM PC AT- 
compatible edge connector. 



a 37-pin D-subminiature, and 
a 50-pin header area. 

Augat will wire the boards 
for you if you transmit the 
wiring data to Augat elec- 
tronically; wired boards can 
be delivered within four 
weeks. Unwired. the Euro- 
cards cost $220 apiece or 
$1505 for 10. The AT- 
compatible boards cost 
$197 each or $1590 for 10. 
Contact Augat Inc., Systems 
Division. 40 Perry Ave.. POB 
1037, Attleboro, MA 02703, 
(617) 222-2202. 
Inquiry 576. 



ImageMate Emulation 
Card 

Orange Micro's Image- 
Mate card enables 
Apple's lmagewriter II 
printer to emulate an Epson 
FX-80 or IBM Graphics 
Printer, while also adding a 
printer buffer with 64 K bytes 
of memory (expandable to 
128K). The ImageMate also 
includes an adapter cable 
and DIP switches to select 
IBM or Epson emulation. 

For Apple computer 
owners who don't need 
Epson or IBM emulation, 
Orange Micro announced a 
similar card that adds an in- 
telligent printer buffer to the 
lmagewriter II. The Image- 
Buffer card adds 64K or 
128K bytes of buffer 
memory and can also print 
multiple copies of buffered 
documents. A clear-buffer 
feature is also provided to 
eliminate the need to 
power-off the printer when 
unwanted information is in 
the buffer. 

Both ImageWare expansion 
cards will retail for approx- 
imately $120 each. Contact 
Orange Micro, 1400 North 
Lakeview Ave., Anaheim, CA 
92807. (714) 779-2772. 
Inquiry 577. 



410 BYTE • JANUARY 1986 



WHAT'S NEW 



SOFTWARE 



A P PLE 



Modeling in Three 
Dimensions 

MacModel is a solids 
modeler for the 
Macintosh that lets you 
draw three-dimensional ob- 
jects and view them from 
many vantage points in 
wide-angle or telephoto 



perspective. You can create 
models of objects as small 
as molecules or as large as 
tall buildings. 

The software handles con- 
structive solid geometry. You 
can start with basic objects 
like spheres and cubes, then 
combine them with union, 
intersection, or subtraction 



to form any object. Also, 
you can move, stretch, or 
rotate any object with the 
mouse. After you've drawn 
an object. MacModel lets 
you calculate or change 
physical properties such as 
size, weight, density, and 
reflectance. Drawings can be 
printed with an Imagewriter 



or LaserWriter. 

MacModel runs on any 
Mac but synoptics recom- 
mends the 5I2K-byte ver- 
sion. The software costs 
$40. Contact synoptics. Suite 
213. 1075 Bellevue Way NE. 
Bellevue. WA 98004. (206) 
747-7633. 
Inquiry 578. 



SOFTWARE 



IBM PC 



PC-to-PL/M Connector 

CompuFirm has released 
an interface library of 
more than 1 50 functions 
and utilities designed to 
provide a connection be- 
tween an IBM PC and Intel's 
PL/M compiler. This de- 
bugged set of assembly- 
language functions enables 
you to write various applica- 
tions in the PL/M language 
using the Intel compiler. 

PL/M Connection provides 
access to all of a PC's DOS 
and BIOS functions and 
high-speed graphics func- 
tions that interface directly 
with the color-graphics and 
monochrome display 
adapters. The package offers 
development support for 
software control of such 
peripherals as floppy and 
hard disks, communications 
devices, printers, video 
displays, and keyboards. The 
compiler generates in-line 
code automatically for the 
8087 floating-point co- 
processor. 

The program consists of 
four main libraries plus 
utilities written in PL/M and 
assembly. For programmers 
unfamiliar with using PL/M 
to make a DOS program. 
CompuFirm has provided 
step-by-step sample pro- 
grams explaining how to 
create such a program from 
the source code. 

PL/M Connection comes 



on a double-sided PC-DOS 
disk with source code in 
PL/M and assembly, demo 
programs, and a 200-page 
manual with examples of 
each function. The package 
has a license fee of $295 
per user. Quantity discounts 
and site licenses are 
available. Contact Compu- 
Firm Corp.. Suite 204. 7677 
Ronson Rd.. San Diego. CA 
92111. (619) 571-0228. 
Inquiry 579. 

On-line Correction 
Aid 

The Resident Speller 
from S & K Technology 
is a memory-resident 
spelling-correction system 
for the IBM PC and com- 
patibles. The program 
checks spelling as you type. 
It operates with many popu- 
lar word processors, includ- 
ing WordStar, Microsoft 
Word. MultiMate. pfs:Write. 
WordPerfect. Volkswriter, and 
PeachText 5000. The Resi- 
dent Speller can also be 
used as a stand-alone spell- 
ing checker for standard 
ASCII text files. 

As a resident utility, the 
program occupies 2 5K bytes 
of memory; its 49.000-word 
dictionary takes another 64K 
bytes. You can turn checking 
on and off from within your 
word-processing environ- 
ment. Configurable features 
include the interpretation of 
individual characters, the 
marking symbol and meth- 



od, and default filenames. 
The main dictionary and 
alternate dictionaries can be 
expanded. 

The Resident Speller costs 
$99. Contact S & K Tech- 
nology Inc.. 4610 Spotted 
Oak Woods. San Antonio. 
TX 78249. (512) 492-3384. 
Inquiry 580. 

Lessons in Speedy 
Reading 

Achievement House 
claims its FASTYead pro- 
gram can help increase your 
reading rate with its 80 
lessons of self-instruction, 
practice, and testing. The 
program also teaches the 
mental and physical aspects 
of fast reading to help you 
increase comprehension and 
retention along with speed. 

The lessons use "real 
world" material with a dif- 
ficulty level equivalent to 
what's found in industry and 
education. You set your own 
pace and goals, and the 
software tracks your prog- 
ress. The program keeps 
tabs of where you finish in a 
lesson so you can resume 
with subsequent material 
quickly. 

FASTread costs $59.95 and 
comes with a 30-day guaran- 
tee. It runs on an IBM PC 
XT, or AT with at least I28K 
bytes, one disk drive, an 80 
by 2 5 display, and DOS 2.0 
or later. Contact Achieve- 



ment House. 103 Great Plain 
Rd.. Danbury. CT068II. 
(800) 551-1133; in Connec- 
ticut. (203) 748-0277. 
Inquiry 581. 



PLZ Compiler 

KCSystems has devel- 
oped a resident PLZ 
compiler that follows Lattice 
C calling conventions and 
can be used with any Lattice 
C-compatible library. The 
company said its compiler 
implements the complete 
Zilog PLZ language, in- 
cluding the extensions of 
the Z8000 PLZ (32-bit data 
types, structure operations, 
etc.). A version for the 
68000 running under 
CP/M-68K is also available. 
KCSystems said the com- 
piler is best suited for ROM- 
based 8088/8086 or 68000 
systems, systems-level pro- 
grams, and any application 
where C or Modula-2 would 
otherwise be used. 

The package costs $75 
and consists of the compiler, 
user's manual, Report on the 
Programming language PLZ-SYS 
(T. Snoock et al.. Springer- 
Verlag. 1978), and a year of 
free updates. Or you can 
buy the manual and text for 
$20; the money is credited 
toward purchase of the com- 
piler. A money-back 
guarantee runs for 30 days. 
Contact KCSystems. 20 Lam- 
ington Dr.. Succasunna. NJ 
07876, (201) 927-9104. 
Inquiry 582. 

{continued) 



JANUARY 1986 'BYTE 411 



WHAT'S NEW 



S O F T W A R E • OTHER COMPUTERS 



TWo for the Amiga 

MaxiCorp has released a 
set of business- 
oriented modules and a 
serial communications pro- 
gram for the Commodore 
Amiga. 

Maximillian contains four 
modules: MaxiCalc, a spread- 
sheet that can handle 256 
rows by 256 columns; Maxi- 
Word. a word processor; 
MaxiGraph. for drawing bar, 
line, and pie charts; and 
MaxiTerm, a communica- 
tions program that can 
operate with data speeds up 
to 9600 bps. With a 256K- 
byte Amiga, you can use 
any one of the applications; 
with a 512K-byte machine, 
you can use all four 
together. 

MaxiComm, another com- 
munications program, is 
capable of terminal emula- 
tion and file transfers be- 
tween the Amiga and on- 
line services and data trans- 
fers between Amigas. Both 
XON/XOFF and XMODEM 
protocols are available. 

Maximillian lists for $195. 
MaxiComm is $49.95. Con- 
tact MaxiCorp. 2817 Sloat 
Rd.. Pebble Beach, CA 
93953, (408) 625-4104. 
Inquiry 583. 

RAM Disk, RAM 
Upgrade for 520ST 

Lamar Micro has devel- 
oped a RAM-disk pro- 
gram for the Atari 520ST. 
Called RAM Overdrive, the 
program lets a 520ST with 1 
megabyte of RAM address 
the upper 512 K bytes of 
random-access memory as a 
RAM disk. 

One way to fatten your 
Atari so it can use the RAM 
disk is with Lamar's I -mega- 
byte RAM upgrade. When 
used with a word-processing 
program such as ST Write, 
this RAM expansion lets ap- 



proximately 688K bytes (or 
344 typewritten pages) 
reside in memory at all 
times. The operating system 
automatically detects this in- 
crease and makes the 688K 
bytes available to the 
application. 

RAM Overdrive costs 
$34.95. The RAM upgrade is 
$300. You have to send your 
keyboard to the company 
for installation of the RAM. 
Contact Lamar Micro. 2107 
Artesia Blvd., Redondo 
Beach. CA 90278. (213) 
374-1673. 
Inquiry 584. 



Pascal for Ataris 

Draper Pascal lets you 
create, compile, and ex- 
ecute Pascal programs on 
the Atari 400. 800. XL. or 
XE computers. It incor- 
porates features from UCSD 
and ISO standards and has 
extensions, such as sound 
and graphics, that take ad- 
vantage of Atari hardware. 

Machine-language sub- 
routines can be loaded and 
called, and program chain- 
ing is supported. Draper 
puts no limit on the size of 
source-code programs. A 
one-pass compiler generates 
pseudocode directly; max- 
imum size of program 
pseudocode is 30K bytes. 
Execution debugging tools 
include instruction trace and 
stack display. No linking is 
required. 

Draper Pascal needs only 
one disk drive and 48K 



bytes of RAM. It costs 
$44.95 (plus $2 shipping) 
and comes with a manual 
and sample programs. Con- 
tact Draper Software, 307 
Forest Grove. Richardson. 
TX 75080, (214) 699-9743. 
Inquiry 585. 



CP/M for Z8000 

Digital Research and 
Zilog have jointly devel- 
oped CP/M-8000 for the 
Z8000 16-bit micropro- 
cessor. CP/M-8000. which is 
being marketed by Toshiba 
and Zilog, features an 
enlarged directly accessible 
memory space beyond 64K 
bytes. The developers say 
the new CP/M has an im- 
proved file manager and 
command repertoire as well 
as increased capability for 
library maintenance. 

CP/M-8000 comes with a C 
compiler, assembler, linker, 
debugger, and utilities. Per- 
sonal BASIC. Compiler 
BASIC. FORTRAN, and 
Pascal/MT+ are slated as 
options. Toshiba's offerings 
for the operating system are 
a PL/M compiler, a macro 
assembler, a PROM writer, a 
download utility, and a 
screen editor. 

The new CP/M can operate 
with a Z8001. Z8002, Z8003. 
or Z8004; a minimum of 
176K bytes (2 56K is recom- 
mended); and up to 16 disk 
drives. It comes on single- 
sided single-density 8-inch 
floppy disks or on double- 
sided double-density 



WHERE DO NEW PRODUCT ITEMS COME FROM? 
The new products listed in this section of BYTE are chosen from the thousands 
of press releases, letters, and telephone calls we receive each month from 
manufacturers, distributors, designers, and readers. The basic criteria for selection 
for publication are: [a) does a product match our readers' interests? and (b) 
is it new or is it simply a reintroduction of an old item? Because of the volume 
of submissions we must sort through every month, the items we publish are 
based on vendors statements and are not individually verified. 1/ you want 
your product to be considered for publication [at no charge), send full infor- 
mation about it. including its price and an address and telephone number 
where a reader can get further information, to New Products Editor. BYTE, 
70 Main St.. Peterborough. NH 034 58. 



514-inch disks. Prices start at 
$340. 

Contact Toshiba Corp., 
1-1-1. Shibaura. Minato-ku. 
Tokyo 105. Japan; telephone: 
(03) 457-2104; Telex: J22587. 
Inquiry 586. 



Atari Tools 

Volume One of the Atari 
ST Toolbox contains 
five utility programs on a 
single disk. The programs 
are Disk File/Sector Editor. 
Memory Editor. Fast Format 
& Copy, Deleted File 
Recovery, and Directory 
Print. Volume One costs 
$39.95. 

Contact Mirage Concepts 
Inc., Suite 108. 4055 West 
Shaw Ave.. Fresno, CA 
93711. (209) 227-8369. 
Inquiry 587. 

Software- 
Development System 

Described as a fourth- 
generation language. 
Sculptor is designed to 
reduce programming time 
by using menus written in 
plain English and screens 
created with any text editor. 
Microprocessor Develop- 
ments Ltd. says Sculptor 
can cut programming time 
by as much as 80 percent. 

The system uses a B-tree 
access method. It's trans- 
portable to a variety of 
computers using MS-DOS or 
PC-DOS. Multiuser applica- 
tions can be developed for 
systems running under 
UNIX. UniFLEX. and OS-9. 

Contact Microprocessor 
Developments Ltd.. 1/3 Can- 
field Place. London NW6 
3 Br. England; telephone: 
01-328-2277. The U.S. 
representative is Gander & 
Flynn Ltd.. 225 Dyer Rd.. 
West Palm Beach, FL 33405. 
(305) 832-0131. 
Inquiry 588. 



412 BYTE • JANUARY 1986 



-The Buyer's Mart- 

A Directory of Products and Services 



THE BUYER'S MART is a monthly advertising section which enables readers 
to easily locate suppliers by product category. As a unique feature, each 
BUYER'S MART ad includes a Reader Service number to assist interested 
readers in requesting information from participating advertisers. 

RATES: 1x-$375 3x-$350 6x-$325 
Prepayment must accompany each insertion. 

AD FORMAT: Each ad will be designed and typeset by BYTE. Advertisers must 



furnish typewritten copy. Ads can include headline (23 characters maximum), 
descriptive text (250 characters maximum), plus company name, address and 
telephone number. Do not send logos or camera-ready artwork. 

DEADLINE: Ad copy is due 2 months prior to issue date. For example: June 
issue closes on April 1. Send your copy and payment to THE BUYER'S MART, 
BYTE magazine, 70 Main Street, Peterborough, NH 03458. For more informa- 
tion call Karen Burgess at BYTE 603-924-9281. 



ACCESSORIES 



SOFTWARE PACKAGING, DISKS 

Cloth binders & slips like IBM's. Vinyl binders, boxes, and 
folders-many sizes. Disk pages, envelopes, & labels. Low 
qty. imprinting. Bulk & branded disks. Much More) Low 
prices. Fast service. Call or write for FREE CATALOG. 

Anthropomorphic Systems Limited 

376-B East St. Charles Road 

Lombard, IL 60148 

1-800-DEAL-NOW (312) 629-5160 



ACCESSORIES 



Self-Inking Printer Ribbon 

For users of Okldata and other open spool ribbon 
printers. Controlled Printout Devices are a new kind of 
printing ribbon that re-ink themselves, and will last 15 
times longer than the ribbon you are now using. For 
further information please call or write. 

CONTROLLED PRINTOUT DEVICES, INC. 

POB 869, Baldwin Rd. ( Arden, NC 28704 
(704) 684-9044 



DISK CONVERSION 



CONVERSION SERVICES 

Convert any 9 track magnetic tape to or from over 
500 formats including 2Vz'\ 5 1 /4", 8" disk formats & 
word processors. Disk to disk conversions also 
available. Call for more info. (312) 459-6010 

Pivar Computing Services, Inc. 

. . 47 W. Dundee Road + + 
Wheeling, I L 60090 



Inquiry 651. 



Inquiry 667. 



Inquiry 729. 



BOOKS /DISKS /VIDEOS 



GASP! 

THAT IS THE SOUND OF YOUR ALTOS AS 
IT FILLS WITH BUGS, DUST AND OTHER 
GUNK! Protect your investment in your 
586/986 Altos. Enclose it in a filtered solid 
wood enclosure box. $199.95 Each. 

BOB'S BOX CO. 

314 Sutton Street, Maysville, KY 41056 
(606) 564-3932 



Inquiry 654 



LESS NOISE! MORE COOLING! 

Stop irritating fan noise & overheating prob- 
lems with the SILENCER cooling system. It 
utilizes a super quiet (84% less noise), West 
German, all metal, 4V2" fan. Provides up to 
100% more cooling. Mounts on the back of the 
IBM PC. $79.95 + $4 s/h VISA/MC 
PC COOLING SYSTEMS 
31510 Via Ararat Dr., Bonsall, CA 92003 
(619) 723-9513 



C LANGUAGE TRAINING 

Train your entire staff for less than 1 student seminar 
fee. Use the best & most professional video training 
package. Complete 5 hour video production. Learn 
all aspects of C from basics through pointers. $995 
includes 6 video modules plus textbook plus 
workbook. 

Call: Retrieval Technology 

3 Courthouse Lane, Chelmsford, MA 01824 
617-458-1130x108 



BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES 



VIDEO STORES 

We need ambitious dealers in all U.S. states 
and Canada to market a powerful system to 
computerize video tape rental stores. 

WINCHESTER DATA 
PRODUCTS INC. 

3301-Executive Drive., #204, Raleigh, N.C. 27609 
(919) 872-0995 



INCOMPATIBLE WORD PROCESSORS? 

We convert to and from: XEROX, DEC, IBM, 

LANIER, WANG, PC-DOS, CONVERGENT 

TECHNOLOGY, WORDSTAR, MULTIMATE, 

SAMNA ASCII, MICOM. 

Also most CP/M systems. 

LOWEST PRICES 

DATA CONVERSION INC. 

6310 Caballero Blvd. • Buena Park, CA 90620 

(714) 522-7762 (800) 824-4851 In CA. 



DOCUMENTATION 



Computer Assembly Manuals 

BIG BLUE SEED fa IBM" BUILDERS: parts list, place- 
ment diagrams, instructions for assembling over 55 IBM- 
compatible bare cards - $14,95. 
APPLE SEED II for APPLE" BUILDERS: in the style of 
the BIG BLUE SEED with instructions for assembling 70 
Apple-compatible bare cards - $12.95. 
BOTH ASSEMBLY MANUALS FOR $25.00 

NuScope Associates 

RO. Box 790 • Lewiston NY • 14092 



Inquiry 726. 



DISTRESS SALE 

Export order cancelled on 5,000 new, factory 
boxed, Canon F60 and 1080A printers. The let- 
ter quality F-60 is similar to IBM's Quietwriter 
selling for $1,395. Distress priced from $129 to 
$179. The 1080A has same specs, as FX-85, 
160 CPS, NLQ, etc. Priced from $139 to $189. 
PC SYSTEMS 
8 a.m. — 5 p.m. EST 305-746-3407 
800-826-4839 305-746-3407 



COMMUNICATIONS 



DUPLICATING SERVICES 



SMART ANSWERING MACHINE 

SAM transforms your IBM PC into an intelligent phone 
answering & real-voice messaging center. FEATURES: 
999 personal messages, call screening, message for- 
warding, timed or grouped message delivery, sortable 
phonebook/autodialer, time/date log, voice prompted 
remote access, AND MORE!! All hardware & software 
included. Retail $295. VISA/MC. 

DIALECTRON, INC. 

2035 California St., Ste #17, Mountain View, CA 94040 

(415) 960-3040 



WESTERN TRANSDATA, INC. 

Why risk duplicating your important programs on your com- 
puter, when our equipment is designed solely to duplicate disks 
& verify their perfection 100%? Over 600 formats. y/i\ 5'/4" 
& 8'! Plus serialization, copy protection, labeling, packaging, 
shrink-wrapping and fast, personalized service. 

WESTERN TRANSDATA, INC. 

1701 E. EdingerAve. A-4 
Santa Ana, CA 92705 
714/547-3383 (collect) 



Inquiry 727. 



Inquiry 676 



Inquiry 751 



BLANK FUNCTION KEY TEMPLATES 

Write convenient commands next to your function keys on re- 
versible plastic templates. Styles to fit IBM-PC, Compatibles, 
HP-150, Keytronics 5151, and others. Custom also available. 
$4.95 Pkg. of 3 (Plus $1 s&h) 
1-800-231-5413 
In CA 1-800-523-5441 
Free catalog of other helpful products available by 
circling number below on inquiry card. 



Inquiry 670. 



CONTRACTS 



FOR ENTREPRENEURS 

Legal contracts (or hardware/software developers. Employee 
agreement, non-disclosure form, contracts for sale {hardware 
and/or software), consulting, development, hardware & soft- 
ware maintenance, non-competition, project delivery & more. 

$5 ° Waters Publishing $50 

- 8235 Douglas - Suite 1000 - 

Dallas, TX 75225 

800-628-2828 



Inquiry 749. 



DUPLICATION SOLUTIONS 

We have the answer to your duplication needs, 
no matter what the volume. We supply auto- 
loaders, disks, and technical support. We pro- 
vide copy protection, serialization, package 
assembly, and distributive shipping. 

MegaSoft 

P.O. Box 1143, Freehold, NJ 07728 
1-800-222-0490 201-462-7628 (in NJ) 



Inquiry 707. 



JANUARY 1986 -BYTE 413 



The Buyer's Mart- 



ENTERTAINMENT 



HARDWARE 



HARDWARE 



BIBLE ADVENTURE GAME 

"Keys of the Kingdom" is an exciting Bible 
adventure game in which you acquire the ar- 
mor of God, confront the devil, meet 
characters from the Bible, and solve mazes 
and puzzles using the Bible. Runs on MS- 
DOS computers. Price: $25.00 

Peterson Computer Co. 

P.O. Box 40067 
Bellevue, WA 98004 



XPNDR2 PROJECT CARDS 

FOR THE COLOR COMPUTER DISK SYSTEM 
The 6809E signals are brought out to pins on a 
40-pin wirewrap connector; on top the disk con- 
troller mounts vertically. 4.3X7.2" drilled for ICs; 
5V and GND buses; all the right stuff. Includes App 
Notes. Cardguide available. Free Brochure. 

ROBOTIC MICROSYSTEMS 

BOX 30807, SEATTLE, WA 98107 
(206) 782-6809 



BUYING A PROGRAMMER? 

Information on EPROM programmers for 

Engineering, Production and Field 

Service. 

Specifications and prices upon request. 

SHERMAN PIRKLE, INC. 
617-861-6688 



Inquiry 728. 



Inquiry 738. 



TRAIN DISPATCHER 

Train Dispatcher is a realistic simulation of a railroad traffic 

control center and was created by designers of CTC 

systems for operating railroads. Learn how dispatchers 

route rail traffic. IBM PC - $37; graphics card required. 

Apple II - $32; color monitor recommended. MCA/ISA 

accepted. 

SIGNAL Computer Consultants, Ltd. 

P.O. Box 18222, Dept. 36 

Pittsburgh, PA 15236 

(412) 655-7727 



BDS LASER PRINTER! — $2,559.00 
COMPLETE WITH SOFTWAREI 

8 Pages per Minute. 9 Type Fonts, (16 with optional 
Cartridge), Down-Loadable (Design your own) Fonts, 
Parallel (Centronics, IEEE-48B) and Serial (RS-232C) 
Interfaces, Landscaping (Graphics Intermixed with 
Text), Magnification, Sideways Print, and Non- Volatile 
Memory for Control Features. 

HIGH TECHNOLOGY, INC. 

9312 W. 92nd Ave., Westminster, CO 80020 
(303) 431-7596 VISA and MASTERCARD Accepted! 



PCjr ADD-ON DRIVES 

Upgrade your PCjr with our user-installed add-on 
drive system. II includes a replacement disk con- 
troller (operates up to 3 drives), a 2 drive cable, ex- 
ternal 360K drive(s) & software for operating the extra 
drives. Prerequisite: DOS 2.1 , $295 (one drive), $449 
(2 drives), $149 (controller only), $6 shipping. 
Call (505) 292-4182 

J & M Systems, Ltd. 

15100-A Central SE, Albuquerque, NM 87123 



Inquiry 701. 



HARDWARE 



Tandy 1 000 Hardware 

TanPak Multifunction Cards $329 

Memory to 51 2K, RS232, Clock, DMA 

TanPak Secondary $249 

Memory to 256K, RS232, Clock 

10 Meg Hard Drive with Controller $549 

20 Meg Hard Drive with Controller $749 

Hard Drive Specialist 

1-800-231-6671 or 1-713-480-6000 

16208 Hickory Knoll, Houston, Texas 77059 



TURBOCHARGER FOR IBM 

•^ Increases processing speed over 300% 
• Full software compatibility with PC and XT 
s Supports Intel 10 MHz 8087 coprocessor 

Everett/Charles® Marketing Services 

6101 Cherry Avenue 

Fontana, CA 92335 

800-443-1860 Calif. 800-821-0589 



IBM-PC BREAKTHROUGH 

X5 -PC PERFORMANCE IMPROVED 500% + EMS 
10MHZ SUPER 86 + Vz MB RAM INSTALLED 
SOCKETS FOR UP TO 3MB OF EXPANDED MEMORY 
AND 8087 (XR CARD ADDS ANOTHER 5MB MAX) X5 
$539 - 1MB XR $369 - Vfe MB RAM $72 

TRAILRIDGE ASSOCIATES 

14300 WEST 50TH AVE., GOLDEN, CO 80401 
303-441-9109 



Cleans up your line power! 

Isobar protects computer from damage caused by 
high voltage spikes and AC line noise. It prevents 
errors, malfunctions, false computer printouts and 
discskips, plus audio and video hash. Isolated filter 
banks isolate the outlets to prevent equipment in- 
teraction 1 3-way spike protection! Free catalog. 

Indus-Tool 

730 W. Lake St., Chicago, IL 60606 
Phone 312-648-2191 



1/2 IN. 9 TRACK COUPLER 

READ and WRITE 1/2 in. magnetic tape with format- 
ted 9 track drives. Runs all speeds and densities in 
PC, XT, & AT running MS-DOS or IBM XENIX. Data 
transfers up to 904K bytes/second. Couplers start 
at $880. Complete sub-systems start at $2995. 

Overland Data, Inc. 

5644 Kearny Mesa Rd., Ste. A, San Diego, CA 921 1 1 
(619)-571-5555 and TELEX 754923 OVERLAND 



POWERLINE GREMLINS?? 
POWER FAILURES?? 

The MEIRICK STANDBY POWER SYSTEM 

is the TOTAL SOLUTION to your 

powerline problems. 

240 watt system - $365; 400 watt system - $495; 

800 watt system - $795 

MEIRICK Inc., POWER SYSTEMS DIV. 

Box 298, Frisco, CO 80443 303-668-3251 



Inquiry 696. 



Inquiry 724. 



Inquiry 708. 



EPROM/EEPROM PROG. $250 

Programs 2716-27256, 25xx and 68764/66 eproms 
via RS-232. Also 874x micros and 28xxA & 52Bxx 
EEPROMs. Automatic baud rate select, built in help 
menus, no personality modules! 

16 BIT I/O MODULE $75 
Low cost control via RS-232. Expands to 512! 

INTELLITRONICS 

P.O.Box 3263, Tustin, CA 92680 
(714) 669-0614 



MULTIFUNCTION BOARDS 

US Made, Memory to 384K, Printer, 

I/O ports: clock, battery, and more. . . 

Under $200 

Everett/Charles® Marketing Services 

6101 Cherry Avenue 

Fontana, CA 92335 

800-443-1860 Calif. 800-821-0589 



MULTI-FUNCTION Bd $149.95 

includes 384K of RAM, Serial, Pari., Clock, Software 

256K RAM Card (full) for IBM's 109.95 

Team 300/1200 modem, int. or ext., 

Hayes Compt 199.95 

Radio Shack 64K Color Computer II 139.95 

External Drives 5 1 A" for Radio Shack in case115.95 
Epson Printers, Cheap! Call for quotes. 

C.C. Distributing 5512 Poplar Ave. 

Memphis, TN 381 1 9 901-761-4565 



Inquiry 698. 



Inquiry 685. 



Inquiry 662. 



APPLE & IBM PERIPHERALS! 

FACTORY DIRECT! He 64K/80 Column Bd. $39. II + /He 
Cooling Fan $24.95. II + /lie Mouse w/SFWR $49.95. 
Joystick III w/fire on stick Apple or IBM $24.95. 10 Ft 
IBM Parallel Cable $12.95. RAM Set/9 PC-$5 XT-$7. Add 
$3 Shipping. Write for complete list. 

NEXO DISTRIBUTION 

8824 Golf Drive - Spring Valley, CA 92077 
(619) 589-7928 



Inquiry 722. 
414 B YTE • JANUARY 1986 



GOULD COLORPLOTTERS 

Model 6120-HP Equivalent 
small footprint under $1000. 

Everett/Charles® Marketing Services 

6101 Cherry Avenue 

Fontana, CA 92335 

800-443-1860 Calif. 800-821-0589 



Inquiry 686. 



$99 HARD DISK CONTROLLERS 

These NEW SHUGART 1610 controllers emulate other SASI 
controllers and mount directly on any 5V*" drive. 1610-1 
emulates DTC 510. . .1610-3 emulates XEBEC 
S1410. . .1610-4 emulates SCSI similar to ADAPTEC 4000. 
Controllers work with BYTE's COM1 80. ACS 1000, ISI 5160, 
AMPRO, WAVEMATE, TRS80 III, IV, APPLE, MAC, OTHERS. 
Controller-$99. Manual & Schematic-$8, COD & Shipping $5. 
Quantity pricing available. California add 7°/o sales tax. 

COMPUTER SURPLUS STORE 

3675 DeSoto Ave., Santa Clara, CA 95051 
408-248-0134 



Inquiry 666. 



The Buyer's Mart- 



HARDWARE 



SOFTWARE/BUSINESS 



SOFTWARE/BUSINESS 



LOW COST EPROM BURNER 

Read, burn, and verify popular 28-pin EPROMs and 
EEPROMs, including 2764, 27128, 27256, 27512, 2817 
and 2864. No personality modules. Uses intelligent pro- 
gramming algorithm for high speed burning. Operates 
through parallel port. Intel and Motorola hex formats sup- 
ported. Complete hardware/software package. 

Atari 520ST EPROM Burner $139.95 

IBM PC/PC compatible EPROM Burner $199.95 

Hippopotamus Software, Inc. 

985 University, Suite #12, Los Gatos, CA 95030 
(408) 395-3190 

Price, availability, and specifications subject to change without notice. 



TAX-PREP '86 
MAKES TAXES EASIER 

Multlplan, 1-2-3 or Excel users, easily 
prepare totally professional tax returns, 22 
linked schedules, IRS approved printout. 
IBM, Apple. TRS-80, CP/M $129.95; MAC 
$99.95. Call now for full information. 

EZWare Corporation 
(215) 667-4064 



PC-File III™ Version 4 

Search, sort, browse, global changes, macros, mailing 
labels, format reports with selection & calculations, sub- 
totals, totals, averages, encryption. Exchange data with 
1-2-3, WORD, WordStar. Over 190,000 users. $59.95 + 
$5 s/h. For IBM PC. 

ButtonWare, Inc. 

P.O. Box 5786, Bellevue, WA 98006 
1-800-J-BUTTON 



Inquiry 695. 



Inquiry 687. 



Inquiry 655. 



HAVE YOU SEEN??? 

If you have missed us in the November Issue of 
BYTE, Microsystems Journal, or even at Comdex, 
look us up in the February 86 Issues of these 
magazines for our HD 64180 master processor and 
dual 8/16 bit slave processors. 

Intelligent Computer Designs Corp. 

9252 Garden Grove Blvd. 
Garden Grove, CA 92644 



LP88-LINEAR PROGRAMMING 

A powerful menu-driven system for solving linear programs w/ 
up b 255 constraints & 2255 variables. Features include in- 
teractive & batch operation, spreadsheet-style input & editing, 
storage of problems & bases, Simplex Algorithm restait, report 
generator, sensitvity analysis. Req. IBM PC, 192K. $99 w/8087 
support, user's guide. VISA/MC. 
EASTERN SOFTWARE PRODUCTS INC. 
P.O. Box 15328, Alexandria, VA 22309 
(703) 549-5469 



PC-File/R™ 

All the power of PC-File III plus: Relational link to 
other databases, integrated letter writing & mail- 
merge, context sensitive pop-up help windows. New 
binary search retrieves data hundreds of times faster. 
$149.95 + $5 s/h. 

ButtonWare, Inc. 

P.O. Box 5786, Bellevue, WA 98006 
1-800-J-BUTTON 



Inquiry 754. 



Inquiry 681. 



Inquiry 656. 



PERIODICALS 



DISCOVER ROBOTICS 

Robot Experimenter™ magazine shows you how to 
take the next step in the computer revolution by free- 
ing your computer to roam about the house. REx 
is designed for both educators and experimenters. 
Subscribe now to explore the world of tomorrow. 
• $24.00 for 12 issues. MC/VISA/CHECK • 

Robot Experimenter 

POB 458, Peterborough, NH 03458 
603/924-3843 



TSA 88-TRANSPORTATION 

A GENERAL-PURPOSE system for solving transpor- 
tation, assignment and transhipment problems. 
Solves transportation problems with up to 510 origins 
and/or destinations by applying the Transportation 
Simplex Algorithm. Menu-driven with features similar 
to LP88. Requires 192K, $99 with 8087 support 
user's guide. VISA/MC. 

EASTERN SOFTWARE PRODUCTS, INC. 

POB 15328, Alexandria, VA 22309 

(703) 549-5469 



PC-Type™ 

Fast, compact, capable & easy! Help panels, hands- 
on tutorial macros, multiple-line headings & footings, 
DOS path suppoil, print spooling, block operations, 
etc. ASCII files. Install program allows customization. 
$59.95 + $5 s/h. For 128K IBM PC. 

ButtonWare, Inc. 

P.O. Box 5786, Bellevue, WA 98006 
1-800-J-BUTTON 



Inquiry 735. 



Inquiry 682. 



Inquiry 657. 



REPAIRS 



PC SVi" HARD DISK REPAIR 

10-day repair service on Seagate, Tandon, 
Miniscribe, Rodime. ALSO, component level repair 
on • WD1002 Drive Controller PCB, and • IBM 
PC&XT Motherboard PCB. Send for free brochure 
or call (714) 550-9303. 

APPLIED DISK TECHNOLOGY, INC. 

1017 N. Baker St., Suite B 
Santa Ana, CA 92703 



dFELLER Inventory 

A business Inventory program written in 
modifiable dBASE source code. The menu-driven 
program lets you locate items by inventory name 
or number. It keeps track of reorder points, ven- 
dors, average cost, and other info. Requires 
dBASE II or III. PC-DOS/CPM $150. 

Feller Associates 

550 CR PPA, Route 3, Ishpeming, Ml 49849 
(906) 486-6024 



PC-Calc™ Version 3 

64 columns x 256 rows, math and stat. functions, 
horizontal bar graphs, title locking, individually ad- 
justable column widths, IF. . THEN, link to other 
spreadsheets or PC-File databases, much more. Re- 
quires 256K IBM PC. $59.95 + $5 s/h. 

ButtonWare, Inc. 

P.O. Box 5786, Bellevue, WA 98006 
1-800-J-BUTTON 



Inquiry 652. 



Inquiry 688. 



Inquiry 658. 



SOFTWARE/BUSINESS 



DATA ENTRY SYSTEM 

Heads-down data entry with two-pass verification for 
the PC/XT/AT & compatibles. Loaded with features 
like: Auto dup & skip, verify bypass, range checks, 
& table lookups. Fully menu driven only $395. 
Call for free 30 day trial period. 

COMPUTER KEYES 

6519 193 SW, Lynnwood, WA 98036 
(206) 776-6443 



STANDARD FORMS 

Easy to use with on screen step by step prompts. 
Prints data required in proper spaces on any 
preprinted form that fits in your printer. Free phone 
support. $79 (VISA/MC/AMEX). MS-DOS/CPM-80. 
Other original software. FREE catalogue. 

MICRO-ART PROGRAMMERS 

173 Birch Avenue, Cayucos, CA 93430 
(805) 995-2329 (24 hours) 



1985 TAX PREPARATION 

Fast, easy to use package prepares and prints 1985 
Federal income tax returns using form 1040. Fully interac- 
tive, menu driven. Follows IRS forms. Supports 26 forms 
plus multiples. MS/PC-DOS, 128K; Prof. $149.00; Pers. 
$39.95; VISA/MC ($5 SH) 

Dunphy Systems, Inc. 

P.O. Box 326, Worthington, OH 43085-0326 
614-459-2349 (orders 800-622-4070; III. 800-942-7317) 



Inquiry 665. 



Inquiry 679. 



ENHANCE YOUR PRINTER!! 

Print in a variety of fonts and sizes with your Epson 
(or compatible) printer. Prints SIDEWAYS too. Great 
for letters, spreadsheets, . . .even signs and banners! 
Create your own fonts to print. DigiCon Print 
Package-$49.95 (for IBM PC). 

Digital Concepts, Inc. 

P.O. Box 8345, Pittsburgh, PA 15218 

(412)823-8314 



Inquiry 677. 



► TIME & BILLING ^ 

400 clients/20 partners/80 job & 40 out of pocket 
categories/20 areas of practice/fixed fee or hour- 
ly/more! Prints billing/statements/aged rec's/more! 
Free phone support. $149 (VISA/MC/AMEX). MS- 
DOS/CPM-80. Other original software. FREE 
catalogue. 

MICRO-ART PROGRAMMERS 

173 Birch Avenue, Cayucos, CA 93430 
(805) 995-2329 (24 hours) 



Inquiry 710. 



MY WORD!® is just $35.00 

Complete word processing plus sort, add rows & col- 
umns, mergeprint, quickprint, macros, math, micro- 
justify, use all 256 char. Source; add $35. 150 page 
printed manual. 30-day money-back guarantee. 
IBM PC or compatible, 128K, one drive, any printer. 

T.N.T. SOFTWARE, INC. 

34069 Hainesville Road, Round Lake, IL 60073 
(312) 223-8595 



Inquiry 745. 



JANUARY 1986 -BYTE 415 



The Buyer's Mart- 



SOFTWARE/BUSINESS 



SOFTWARE/GENERAL 



SOFTWARE/GENERAL 



PC-Write™ Shareware 

Fast, friendly, flexible word processor and text 
editor for IBM PC. Easy to use. Advanced features 
like macros, split screen, footnotes, mailmerge. 
Many good reviews, thousands sold. All software, 
manual on disk $10. OK to copy! Register for full 
manual, support, source $75. 

Quicksort (206) 282-0452 Visa/MC 
219 First N. #224J, Seattle, WA 98109 



MICRO BEATS RACETRACK!! 

Earn profits to afford peripherals and goodies to 
build the "System of Your Dreams." Dick Mitchell 
did it. A Winning Thoroughbred Strategy, book and 
software program $59.95. Book only, $29.95. Send 
for literature and review. 

Cynthia Publishing Company 

4455 Los Feliz Blvd., Suite 1106B 

Los Angeles, California 90027 

(213) 664-3165 



Church Package 

Parishioner Time, Talent and Treasure System pro- 
gram is written in modifiable dBASE source code. 
• Contributions • Disbursements • Ledger 
• Names with mailing labels 
• Personal information database. 
Requires dBASE II or III. PC-DOS/CPM-80 $200. 

Feller Associates 

550 CR PPA, Route 3, Ishpeming, Ml 49849 
(906) 486-6024 



Inquiry 733. 



Inquiry 689 



Programmers: 

We guarantee our products to be solid, bugfree. 
" CorrectForth - Very professional. 

* Correct_Datamizer - 50:1 data compression 

guaranteed. 

* SafeModem - Hackerproof. 

$80.75 per program MC/VtSA/MO/Check. Specify 
computer. 

Correct Software, Inc. 

RR1 Box 140, Black Hawk, SD 57718 
(605) 787-5904 



SIGN MAKER $46.50 

Print Letters from 5/8 inch to 83 feet tall Horizontal 
or Sideways banners to 1 2 inches tall. Very Fast. 2 
fonts. Perfect for Store signs, posters, etc. Okidata 
92-3, 192-3 Epson FX80, 100, Star Micronics. MS- 
DOS, CPM-80. 

WOODSMITH SOFTWARE 

Rt. 3-Box 550A, Nashville, IN 47448 

(812)988-2137 



UNIX™-LIKE TOOLS 
FOR MS-DOS 

Increase programmer productivity with 

QTOOLS $49.50 

from 

QCAD SYSTEMS, INC. 

1 1 64 Hyde Ave., San Jose, CA 95129 

Toll-free 800-538-9797 

In California, call 408-727-6671 

Leaders in software tools 



Inquiry 668. 



Inquiry 753. 



Inquiry 731. 



SOFTWARE/GRAPHICS 



TurboTax(R) 

"Very easy to use. Documentation-Excellent"— PC 
Magazine. POWERFUL and FAST' 33 forms plus 
multiples. CALCULATES in 3 seconds! Pop-up menus. 
IRS approved. 1986 planning module. Many extras. 
Simply the best! IBM & compatibles. 256K. $65 + $5 
S/H. Visa/MC. Many states avail. 

ChlpSoft, Inc. 

5674 Honors, San Diego, CA 92122 
(619) 453-8722 



WORD IMAGE 

Edit 4 files, undo, sub-directory, big files, macros, 
on-screen attributes, command driven, batch files, 
search/replace in ranges, help, all printers, manual, 
fast, MORE. Needs 320KB, PCDOS 2.0 + , and 
360K disk. Intro: $50.00, 30-Day trial. 

Software Ideology 

P.O. Box 305, Brooklyn, N.Y. 11204 
718-236-3876 



GRAPHICS PRINTER SUPPORT 

AT LAST! Use the PrtSc key to make quality 
scaled B&W or color reproductions of your 
display on any dot matrix, ink jet, or laser printer. 
GRAF PLUS supports all versions of PC or MS- 
DOS with IBM, Tecmar, and Hercules graphics 
boards. $59.95. 

Jewell Technologies, Inc. 

4302 SW Alaska St., Suite 207, Seattle, W A 981 16 
(206) 937-1081 



Inquiry 663. 



Inquiry 740. 



Inquiry 700. 



Boost Sales by 25%! 

4.000+ SALESEYE users are doing just that. Proven 
software system streamlines your follow-up efforts. Power- 
ful database manager and word processor. 34 fields (9 
user-definable). Unlimited comments. Prints lists, form let- 
ters, labels, profiles. Money-back guarantee. IBM PC, 
compatibles W/256K. 

SALES SOFTWARE $89 - CALL NO W (212) 684-5553 

High Caliber Systems, Inc. 

165 Madison Avenue, Suite 6001, New York, NY 10016 



LEARN TOUCH TYPING NOW 

Are you a hunt-and-peck typist? Then you need the 
TOUCH TYPIST computer typing course. Over 10,000 
have already learned to type withTOUCH TYPIST. For 
IBM-PC, DEC Rainbow, or DECmate II and III. List$79. 
SPECIAL PRICE $27.97. FREE SHIPPING. MCA/ISA. 
COD + $3. 

Newline Software 

P.O. Box 289, Tiverton, Rl 02878 
(401) 624-3322 



ATTENTION ENGINEERS 

Easy-to-use graphics software for the IBM PC, 

XT, AT. and compatibles. Full 2-D and 3-D 
screen graphing capabilities including contours. 

No programming needed! Interface to pen- 
plotter. 

OMNIPLOT [S] $195 

OMNIPLOT [P] $195 

BOTH $295 

MICROCOMPATIBLES 

301 Prelude Drive • Silver Spring, MD 20901 
(301) 593-0683 



Inquiry 693. 



Inquiry 719 



Inquiry 711. 



"THE CLERK" RETAIL POINT OF SALE 

New software organizes your retail business equal to the 
best programs, Features include: complete invoice 
generating, automatic inventory control, figuring dis- 
counts, taxes, and statement generating. A real must for 
the small retailer. Demo disk $29.95 (refundable). Pro- 
gram on sale $149.95 reg. $199.95. 

1-800-346-3026 ext.958 

WDR SALES CO. 

9604 BELMONT, KANSAS CITY, MO. 64134 



FREE SOFTWARE 

Disk includes sample programs of TOUCH TYPIST, 
PROFESSIONAL TEXT PROCESSOR, and PRO- 
FESSIONAL SPELLING CHECKER. Plus informa- 
tion about other software and computer products. 
Indicate IBM-PC or DEC Rainbow or Zenith Z-100. 
$3 s&h. 

Newline Software 

P.O. Box 289, Tiverton, Rl 02878 
(401) 624-3322 



CHEAP GRAPHICS 

on your printer. GRAF 3.0, an extensive upgrade of 
GRAF 2.0 (Sept. Chaos Manor) for MS-DOS & Z80 

CP/M systems w/Epson or C.ltoh compatible 
graphics printers. Bar, Pie, Scatter & Line Graphs. 
14 Fill-in Patterns, Auto Scaling, Legend Creation. 

Menu-Driven. 

CP/M $49.95 MS-DOS $69.95 incl. S/H No CCs 

Microcomputer Systems Consultants 

27-B Forst Ave., Port Jefferson Station, New York 11776-1820 
(516) 928-7493 



Inquiry 750. 



Inquiry 720 



SOFTWARE/GENERAL 



SOFTWARE/LANGUAGES 



MicroGANTT® 

Control your project! You describe the work, 
MicroGANTT calculates the schedule and budget. Op- 
timize the schedule interactively. Customize the reports. 
Sub-tasking, fixed and variable costs, multi-project 
resource allocation, unlimited size and scope. GANTT, 
PERT, CPM, DOD-7000. Call or write for free catalog. 

Earth Data Corporation 

P.O. Box 13168, Richmond, V A 23225 
(804) 231-0300 



Inquiry 680 
416 BYTE 



TAX PREPARER PROGRAM 

Prepare client's oryourown Fed. Income taxes on your 
PC. Simplified data input. Program calculates and pro- 
duces printout for transfer to IRS forms 1040. 2210, 
Sched. A, B, C, G. & W. For IBM-PC, Zenith Z-89, Z-1 00, 
DEC Rainbow. Requires BASIC. List $60. SPECIAL $39 
+ $3 s&h. 

Newline Software 

P.O. Box 289, Tiverton, Rl 02878 
(401) 624-3322 



Inquiry 721. 



CROSS ASSEMBLERS with 
"UNIVERSAL" LINKER and 
POWERFUL LIBRARIANS 
for IBM PC MS-DOS 

Full featured for most microprocessors 

ENERTEC, INC. 

BOX 1312, Lansdale, PA 19446 
215-362-0966 MC/VISA 



Inquiry 683. 



JANUARY 1986 



The Buyer's Mart- 



SOFTWARE/LANGUAGES 



SOFTWARE/LANGUAGES 



SOFTWARE/SCIENTIFIC 



CBTREE FOR C PROGRAMMERS 

Provides enhanced file handling calls directly in- 
to C programs. Maintains balanced B-trees, sup- 
ports unlimited number of keys, data records, 
and key lengths. Fast, Flexible, Efficient. No 
royalties. Source Code Included. 
New Low Price: $99 
PEACOCK SYSTEMS, INC. 
2009 Hileman Rd., Falls Church. VA 22043 
(703) 893-0118 



Tools for CB80 & CB86 

BDOS, DOS, and BIOS calls from CB80 and CB86! 
CBC Tools includes functions for directory access, 
string ops, a debugger, radix conversion, command 
line parsing, quicksorts, bit and byte ops, and much 
more. Available for CP/M-80, CP/M-86, and PC-DOS 
for $180.00. 

Minnow Bear Computers 

POB 2233 Sta. A, Champaign, 1L 61820-8233 
(217) 398-6883 



► SCIENTIFIC CALCULATOR < 

Memory resident emulation of the HP-1 1C plus direct 
insertion of results in foreground program, graphi- 
cally presented, decimal, hex, binary, & octal opera- 
tions, boolean functions and more. Mouse support. 
8087 or Standard versions $49.95 + 3.00 s&h. 

K SOFTWARE HOUSE 

Rt. 2, Box 83B1 Unionville, TN 37180 
(615) 294-5090 



Inquiry 703. 



Minnesota S N O BO L4 Lan 9^9e 
Powerful string &data handling facilities. Interpreter com- 
patible with mainframe SNOB0L4. 32K strings, 32 bit in- 
tegers, 8087 for float & large memory model. Sample pgms 
include ELIZA. For >128K IBM PC/MS DOS or compatible. 
Authoritative "green" book by Griswold available. 

Guide +5V4" diskette $44.95 

Guide + green book + dkt .$59.95 

Green book only $24.95 

Postpaid in USA. In NY add tax. VISA/MC (914) 271-5855 

BERSTIS INTERNATIONAL 

POB 441, Millwood, NY 10520 



68020 

Motorola compatible macro Assembler Package 
features linker, object librarian, symbol report 
generator with cross reference. Produces S-records 
and ROMable code. For CP/M-68K, MS-DOS $750. 
Portable Source in C $3500. AVAILABLE NOW. 

Quelo, Inc. 

2464 33rd Ave. W. Suite 173, Seattle, WA 98199 
206/285-2528 telex 910-333-8171 



PC TECHNICAL GRAPHICS 

TEKMAR is a graphics library for the Tecmar 
Graphics Master. Similar to PLOT-10, includes 
WINDOW, VIEWPORT, AXIS. Support for HP, Hi 
plotters. Curve fitting, complete plotting program. 
Log, semi-log, multi-axis, 3-D, contours. Demo 
disk, literature available. 

Advanced Systems Consultants 

18653 Ventura Blvd., Suite 351, Tarzana, CA 91356 
(818) 407-1059 



Inquiry 653. 



Inquiry 732. 



Inquiry 650. 



SOFTWARE/SCIENTIFIC 



JOIN THE "C" GUILD 

Membership includes quarterly distribution of all 
public domain submissions and 50% discount on 
catalogue items including "C" source code for PC 
utilities, small C compiler, adventure games and 
2D & 3D fractals, graphics, and spreadsheet 
routines, etc. VISA 

"C" Guild, Inc. 

116 W. 6th St., Bloomington, IN 47401 
1-800-554-3874 



PC Array Processing! 

VECTOR87 has 60 array processor subroutines: 
FFT, 2D FFT, convolution, dot product, real & com- 
plex vector operations, linear equations, etc. Up to 
18 times faster than compiled code. For MS For- 
tran, Pro Fortran, Lattice C, MS C. $120 each ver- 
sion with source, no royalties. 
Vectorplex Data Systems Ltd. 
Box 138 Station M, Calgary, Alberta T2P 2H6, Canada 
(403) 248-1250 



CADD for $99.95 

FEATURES: Drawing layers • User Defined Fonts 

• Component Libraries • Video & Digitizer Menus 

• Color Graphics. 

Autocad™ file conversion - $24.95 
Dot Matrix Printer/plotter option - $24.95 
MC, VISA, COD, add $3.00 for shipping. 
60 day money back guarantee. 

GENERIC SOFTWARE 

6 Lake Bellevue #203, Bellevue, WA 98005 
1-800-228-3601 



Inquiry 661. 



Inquiry 748. 



Inquiry 690. 



UNIVERSAL CROSS-REFERENCER 

-WORKS WITH ALL LANGUAGES— 

BASIC, C, Pascal, FORTRAN, COBOL, ASM. . . 

You name it! 

MS/PC-DOS V2 + , IBM PC, XT & compatibles 

Unbeatable at $39.95 + $3 s/h. MC/Visa/Check 

DALSOFT SYSTEMS 

3565 High Vista, Dept E2 
Dallas, TX 75234 (214) 247-7695 



Affordable Engineering Software 

CALL or WRITE for FREE CATALOG 
Circuit Analysis • Root Locus • Thermal 
Analysis • Matrix Manipulation • Signal Pro- 
cessing • Filter Design • Graphics • Text 
Proofreader 

BV Engineering 

2200 Business Way Suite 207, Riverside, CA 92501 
VISA/MC (714) 781-0252 



Digital Logic Design on the Macintosh™ 

The LogicWorks™ series allows you to create, test 
and document digital circuitry on your Macintosh. 
Full simulation capability lets you catch design errors 
before committing your circuit to hardware. From 
$79.95 (US). Demo pkg. $10. Visa/MS Accepted. 

Capilano Computing Systems Ltd. 

Box 86971, N. Vancouver, B.C., Canada, V7L 4P6 
(604) 669-6343 



Inquiry 673. 



Inquiry 659. 



Inquiry 660. 



BYSO® LISP 

for IBM PC 

INTERPRETER $150 

(includes Visual Syntax®) 

COMPILER $395 

for stand alone expert systems, etc. 

Levien Instrument Co. 

POB 31, McDowell, VA 24458 
(703) 396-3345 



SYSTEM DESIGNER 

SD is a tool for the design of hierarchical systems and 
processes, representable by trees. SD breaks a task of 
designing a large system into a great number of small, 
easy tasks while keeping track ol all pieces. SD plots a 
graph of a tree representing the proposed system. The 
price is $399. 

CUSTOM SYSTEMS 

23 Crestwood Ct„ Lansdale, PA 19446 
(215) 468-7773 



AutoCAD IC LIBRARIES 

Integrated circuit symbol libraries allow rapid capture of 
electronic schematics with AutoCAD 2.X. Symbols can 
be inserted, scaled up/down, rotated, copied, moved, 
dragged, put on new layers, erased, made into biocks, 
and used with data attributes. 

LS TTL Library $295 

Z80 Family Library $195 

Schematic Library $295 

TKF Systems (301) 730-3542 

5478-A3 Harpers Farm Rd., Columbia, MD 21044 
AutoCAD is a registered trademark of Autodesk. Inc 



Inquiry 705 



Inquiry 671 



SOFTWARE/SYSTEM 



CROSS ASSEMBLERS 

Develop microprocessor programs on your IBM PC 
or MS DOS computer. 

* Macros * Conditional Assembly * Editor * 

Complete support for most 8 bit microprocessors 

Linker and EPROM Programmer Driver 

Microcomputer Tools Co. 

1255C Kenwal Rd., Concord, CA 94521 
(415) 825-4200 



Inquiry 716 



BEAM ANALY. & SPRING DESIGN 

Beam analysis program calculates shear, moments, reac- 
tions, slopes and deflections in beams. Price: $50.00. 
Helical spring design program for compression, exten- 
sion and torsion springs. Price: $75.00. 
Both packages include disk and documentation. For 
Apple II series of computers or IBM PC, PCjr and 
compatibles. 

SYLCA CORPORATION 

33-47 14 Street, Dept B, Long Island City, NY 11106 
718-278-4604 



Inquiry 743. 



DISK DRIVE DIAGNOSTIC 

Memory Minder, from J & M Systems, is a disk 
diagnostic program for the IBM PC, PCjr, & IBM com- 
patibles. It checks your drives for head alignment, spin- 
dle speed, hysteresis, azimuth & more. And, you can use 
Memory Minder to actually align your disk drives 1 . $99 
plus $4 shipping. 

J & M Systems, Ltd. 

15100-A Central SE, Albuquerque, NM 87123 
(505) 292-4182 



Inquiry 669. 



JANUARY 1986 'BYTE 417 



The Buyer's Mart- 



SOFTWARE/SYSTEM 



SOFTWARE/SYSTEM 



UTILITIES 



MCFORMAT $50 

Don't let DOS waste your disk space! Add up to 50% 
more hard disk capacity to your IBM PC, XT, AT cr 100% 
compatible by selecting format parameters, including 
cluster & directory size. Fully DOS compatible (3.0 or 3.1). 
VISA/MC. 

Microcomputer Concepts, Inc. 

9715 SE 43 St., Mercer Island. WA 98040 
(800) 722-8088 (206) 236-2300 



Symbolic Debugger for Turbo Pascal™ 

- Set breakpoints at line numbers or procedures 

- Display and modify variables symbolically 

- Fully integrated into Turbo Pascal environment 
Requires Turbo 2.0 or 3.0, IBM PC version. 

Only $49 plus $2 S&H. 

KYDOR COMPUTER SYSTEMS 

812 S. Sherman St., Richardson, Texas 75081 

(214) 669-1888 



MEDIA MASTER PLUS 

READ. WRITE, and FORMAT over60CP/M disks and 
run most CP/M-80 programs on your IBM PC! Two pro- 
gram package includes ZP/EM, a CP/M-80 emulator pro- 
gram that transforms your IBM PC into a 1-2 MHZ CP/M 
2.2 computer. $59.95 + $3.00 S/H (CA 6%) 

Intersecting Concepts, Inc. 

4573 Heatherglen Ct. Ste. 10 

Moorpark, CA 93021 

(805) 529-5073 



Inquiry 699. 



Multi-terminal DOS 

GASS-General Accounting Scientific Swit- 
ching system. Multitasking. Can handle 12 
terminals oft IBM PC. Used in mini's since 
1976. Dealers wanted. List price $795,00. 
For limited time $95.00. 

Maxey Systems, Inc. 

5910 Youree Dr. Suite D, Shreveport, LA 71105 
(318) 868-5422 



pcSHARE MULTI-USER O/S 

pcSHARE allows your IBM-XT/AT or compatible to sup- 
port up to 5 users running 1 -2-3, dBASE, WordStar, etc. 
on inexpensive serial CRTs. For software developers, 
pcSHARE efficiently runs compiled Basic, Pascal & C pro- 
grams with full DOS 3.0 compatible record locking. 

Digitrol Computers Inc. 

440 Phillip Street 

Waterloo, Ontario, CAN, N2L 5R9 

(519) 884-4541 



BASIC PROGRAMMERS 

Add SALT & PEPPER to your existing/new programs. 
Create dazzling Menus, intelligent Input Screens. Walk- 
ing Strings, ASC/Desc Sort, PRT. SCR. Data processing 
& more. SALT & PEPPER has 28 modules, (in MS-DOS 
compatible BASIC). They merge with your program in 
minutes. S & P perlorms all the tricks, YOU get the ap- 
plause. $59.95 plus $2.50 s&h. Demo disk $2.50 ppd. 

MCMSA COMPUTER GURU 

40 Wagner Ave., Piscataway, NJ 08854 
201-356-6477 



Inquiry 706, 



Inquiry 678. 



Inquiry 664. 



STATISTICS 



LASER TYPOGRAPHY $495. 

Typographic composition software to drive the Cor- 
ona L300 Laser Printer as a typesetter. H & J 24 
proportional space fonts, widths for 78 fonts 
available. Mix face & point size on any line. 
multicolumn capability. 

Micro Print-X, Inc. 

P.O. Box 581, Ballinger, TX 76821 
(915) 365-2343 Dealer Inquiries Welcome 



RATS! 

RATS is a fast, accurate & complete regression pack- 
age with unsurpassed POWER. Has both time-series 
& cross section analysis. Includes Box-Jenkins, logit 
& probit. Spectral analysis & graphics also available. 
Requires 256K RAM, IBM PC or compatible. $200. 
MC/Visa. 

VAR Econometrics 

P.O. Box 19334, Minneapolis, MN 55419 
(612) 822-9690 



PACKED 

HOT 
STUFF 



UTILITY DISK 

FOR 
IBM-PC 



$10 



EXPECT A MIRACLE! 

MICRO TOOLS INC. 

POB 357 N. Chili, NY 14514 (716)594-1088 
Circle the Inquiry # ... We'll do the Rest 



Inquiry 715. 



Inquiry 747. 



Inquiry 714. 



ACT1 PROFESSIONAL FULLY 

INTEGRATED ACCOUNTING SYSTEM 

for PC-DOS 

Proven 3V'2 years. Includes General Ledger; Accounts 
Receivables; Order Entry/lnv.; Accounts Payable; Inven- 
tory: Payroll (incl. Post Facto). 

only $99.50 plus ship. & hand. 
(800) 344-2540 

Cougar Mountain Software 

Box 6886, Boise. ID 63707 



NUMBER CRUNCHER STAT SYS 

Menu-driven. Multiple & stepwise regression, 
ANOVA, time series, discriminant analysis, principal 
components, scatter plots, histograms, t-tests, con- 
tingency tables, nonparametrics. Import export data. 
Sort, join, merge. Site license $79. IBM 
PC/Macintosh. 

NCSS-B 

865 East 400 North, Kaysville, UT 84037 
801-546-0445 



••• HARD DISK OWNERS"' 
SIMPLIFY & PROTECT YOUR SYSTEM WITH THE MAIN MENU! 

Organize your system with easy-tocreate easy-to follow menus 
that display when the system is turned on. Execute programs 
and DOS commands with the touch of a key. Password pro- 
tect specific programs or entire menus. Will not detract from 
your systems memory. On-line help screens. Time Utility. 
$19.95 VISA/MC 

IBM pc/xt & compatibles with 192K and dos 2.x. 

PARSONS TECHNOLOGY 

6925 Surrey Dr. NE., Cedar Rapids, \A 52402 

(319) 373-0197 



Inquiry 744. 



Inquiry 725. 



TRANSLATIONS 



CPM-80 LIVES on your PC 

CP/Mulator puts a 4mhz 8 bit CP/M emulator in your 

IBM-PC for $99. 

-A great 8 bit development system 

-Saves expensive CPM-80 applications 

-Increases PC speed 10% for 8088 programs 

-Priced less than most software only products 

-Uses no valuable board slots 

Source Information 

P.O. Box 2974, Warminster, PA 18974 
Phone (215) 628-4719 



ARABIC AND FRENCH TRANSLATION 

If you are interested in expanding your sales base 
into the Arabic or French market then SCIENCE 
may be able to help you. Fast, accurate transla- 
tion of any computer related application. Business 
advice for entry of your product into these markets 
is also available. 

SCIENCE 

55 rue Barbes, 94200 Ivry-Sur-Seine, France 

(1) 46-71-18-55 



ZERODISK 

ZeroDisk runs dozens of copyprotected business 
packages from your hard disk without floppies. Call for 
the latest list of software it handles. Needs IBM AT, XT, 
PC, or compatible, DOS 2.0 or higher. ZeroDisk is revis- 
ed monthly and is not copy protected. $75 US. Check 
or Credit Cards accepted. 

QUAID SOFTWARE LIMITED 
45 Charles St. E. 3rd Fl. 

Toronto, Ontario, Canada M4Y 1S2 
(416) 961-8243 



Inquiry 741. 



Inquiry 737. 



UTILITIES 



CP/M Calls from CB80 

Access the full power of CP/M or MP/M direct from your 
CB80 progs. Execute BDOS or XDOS calls. Get such 
info, as user or CP/M version number, time of day, direc- 
tory, etc. BDOSMASTER consists of CB80 Basic code 
to be "INCLUDED" in your prog, and a module for use 
by LK80. Complete package $75.00. 

Practical Solutions, Inc. 

134 S. Central Ave.. Valley Stream. NY 11580 

FOR INFO. CALL 1-516-561-0566 

TO ORDER 1-(800)-227-3800, ext. 983 



Inquiry 730. 

418 BYTE • JANUARY 1986 



DOS PATHING EXTENSION 

Give your software the full PA THING capabilities that 
are missing from the 2,xx and 3.xx versions of MS- 
DOS and PC-DOS. FULLPATH object license: 
$19.95. source license: $399.95, (+ $5 S&H + 6% 
in MN). VISA/MC/PO/CHK 30 day money back 
guarantee. 

P. R. GLASSEL and ASSOCIATES, INC. 

30255 Fir Trail, Stacy, MN 55079 
612-462-1337 



Inquiry 691. 



IBM -TOSHIBA PRINTER INTERFACE 

• all extended capabilities of the T0SHIBAS available 

• bit mapped graphics supported 

• Prints all IBM extended ASCII characters 

• screen dumps in text and graphics 

• escape sequences supported 

• popular software supported directly 

• "Sideways" and "Pyxel Visuals" support 

• dealers welcome $79.95 ($2.50 S&H) 
Integrated Data Technologies, Inc. 
4775 Biinchberry Lane, Colorado Springs, CO 80917 

303-488-2583 MC/VISA 



COMPUTER 

PRODUCTS, 

Inc. 

ORDER TOLL FREE 

(800) 
538-8800 

(CALIFORNIA RESIDENTS) 

(800) 
848-8008 



I MasterCard] 



STATIC RAMS 




101 


256x4 


450n 




1.90 


102 


IK x 1 


450n 




.79 


102L-4 


IK x 1 


450n 




.89 


102L-2 


IK x 1 


250it 




1.29 


111 


258x4 


450n 




2.29 


112 


256x4 


450u 




2.29 


114 


IK x 4 


450u 




.99 


114-25 


IK x 4 


250it 




1.10 


1 I4L-4 


IK x 4 


450is 




1.20 


1141-3 


IK x 4 


300is 




1.30 


I14L-2 


IK x4 


200m 




1.40 


147 


4K x 1 


55m 




395 


101 


258x4 


450m 


CMOS 


3.90 


M84044-4 


4K x 1 


450m 




2.95 


184044-3 


4Kx 1 


300m 




3.45 


¥54044-2 


4K x 1 


200m 




3.95 


IK4118 


1 K x 6 


250m 




8.95 


MM2016-Z0 


2Kx6 


200m 




2.49 


MM201B-15 


2Kx8 


150m 




2.99 


MM2018-10 


2Kx6 


100m 




4.49 


MBI18-4 


2Kx8 


200m 


CMOS 


2.49 


M61I6-3 


2Kx6 


150m 


CMOS 


2.99 


M8116-2 


2Kx8 


120m 


CMOS 


5.49 


M8118LM 


2Kx8 


200m 


CMOS 


2.99 


MB11BLP-3 


2KxB 


150m 


CMOS 


3.49 


M6U6LP-2 


2KxB 


120m 


CMOS 


8.49 


-8132 


4Kx8 


300m 




29.95 


M82B4P-15 


6KxB 


150m 


CMOS 


5.95 


iM82B4LM5 


8Kx8 


150m 


CMOS 


6.95 


4MBZB4LP-1Z 


8Kx8 


120m 


CMOS 


6.95 


DYNAMIC RAMS 




M84027 


4K x 1 


250m 




1.45 


P0411 


4Kx 1 


300m 




1.95 


M52B0 


4K x 1 


300m 




1.95 


K410B 


6Kx 1 


200m 




.49 


1115208 


BK x 1 


250m 




.49 


118-20 


16Kx1 


200m 




.79 


116-15 


lBKxl 


150m 




.99 


11B-12 


16K x 1 


120m 




1.49 


116 


lBKxl 


150m 


5i 


3.95 


164-25 


B4K x 1 


250m 


5» 


.59 


184-20 


B4K x 1 


200m 


5» 


.69 


164-15 


64Kx1 


150m 


5» 


.79 


1256-20 


256x1 


200m 




2.89 


1256-15 


258x1 


150m 




2.89 




EPROMS 






702 


258x6 


1 M 




3.95 


706 


IK x B 


450m 




2.49 


758 


IK x B 


450m 




5.90 


718 


2Kx8 


450m 


5i 


2.95 


716-1 


2Kx8 


350m 


5i 


3.95 


NS2516 


2Kx6 


450m 


5» 


3.95 


M827I6 


2Kx8 


450m 




8.95 


H82532 


4Kx8 


450m 


5» 


3.95 


732 


4Kx8 


450m 


5> 


2.95 


732 A-4 


4Kx6 


450m 


21i 


2.95 


732 A-35 


4Kx8 


350m 


21? 


3.95 


732 A 


4Kx8 


250m 


21? 


5.95 


732 A-2 


4K I 6 


200m 


21i 


8.95 


764 


BK x 6 


450m 


5» 


3.95 


784-25 


BKxB 


250m 


5» 


4.95 


784-20 


BK x 1 


200m 


5» 


5.95 


182564 


BK x B 


450m 


5» 


9.95 


CM86784 


BKxB 


450m 


5» 


17.95 


ICM68766 


BK x B 


350m 


5i 


19.95 


7128-45 


lfiK x B 


450m 


5« 


8.00 


7IH-30 


16K x B 


300m 


5i 


5.50 


7126-25 


16Kx6 


250m 


5i 


8.00 


7256-25 


32Kx8 


250m 


14* 


9.95 







74LS00 






74LS00 


.23 


74L8126 


.48 


74L8280 


.58 


74LS01 


.24 


74L8126 


.48 


7418285 


.54 


74LS02 


.24 


74L8132 


.58 


74L8273 


1.45 


74L803 


.24 


74L8133 


.58 


74L8275 


3.30 


74LS04 


.23 


74L8136 


.38 


7418279 


.48 


74LS05 


.24 


74L8137 


.98 


74L8280 


1.95 


74LS08 


.27 


7418138 


.54 


74L8263 


.88 


74L809 


.28 


74L8139 


.54 


74L8290 


.88 


74LSI0 


.24 


74L8145 


1.15 


74L8293 


.88 


74LS11 


.34 


7418147 


2.45 


74L8295 


.98 


74LS12 


.34 


74L8148 


1.30 


74L8298 


.86 


74L813 
74LS14 


.44 
.SB 


74L8151 
74L8153 


.54 
.54 


74L8299 
74L8323 


1.70 
3.45 


74L815 


.34 


74L8154 


1.85 


7418324 


1.70 


741820 


.24 


7418155 


.88 


7418352 


li5 


74L821 


.28 


74L8158 


.68 


74L8353 


1.25 


74L822 


.24 


74L8167 


.84 


74L83B3 


1.30 


74L826 


.28 


74L8158 


.58 


74L8384 


1.90 


74L827 


.28 


74L8180 


.88 


74L83B5 


.46 


74L826 


.34 


74L8161 


.84 


74L8368 


.46 


74L830 


.24 


74L8162 


.88 


74L8387 


.44 


74L832 


.28 


74L8183 


.84 


74L8388 


.44 


74L833 


.54 


74L8184 


.68 


74L8373 


1.35 


74L837 


.34 


74L8186 


.04 


74L8374 


1.35 


74L838 


.34 


74L818B 


1.90 


7418377 


1.35 


74L840 


.24 


74L81BB 


1.70 


74L837B 


1.13 


74L842 


.48 


74L8169 


1.70 


74L8378 


1.30 


74L847 


.74 


74L8170 


1.45 


74L83B5 


1.85 


74L848 


.74 


74L8173 


.68 


74L83B8 


.44 


74L84Q 


.74 


74L8174 


.54 


74L8390 


1.15 


74L851 


.24 


74L8175 


.54 


74L8393 


1.15 


74L854 


.28 


74L81B1 


2.10 


74L8395 


1.15 


74L8S5 


.28 


7418189 


0.90 


74L8399 


1.45 


74L863 


1.20 


74L8190 


.88 


74L8424 


2.90 


74L873 


.38 


74L8191 


88 


74L8447 


.36 


74L874 


.34 


74L8192 


.78 


74L8490 


1.90 


74L875 


.38 


74L8193 


.78 


74L8824 


3.95 


74L876 


.38 


74L8194 


.88 


74L8840 


2.15 


74L878 


.48 


74L8195 


.68 


74L8B45 


2.15 


74L883 


.59 


74L8198 


.78 


74L8688 


1.85 


74L885 


.88 


74L8197 


.78 


74L8B89 


1.85 


74L8B8 


.38 


74L8221 


.88 


741.8870 


1.45 


741890 


.54 


74L8240 


.04 


741.8874 


9.60 


741891 


.88 


74L8241 


.98 


74LSBB2 


3.15 


74L892 


.54 


74L8242 


.96 


74LS8B3 


3.15 


74L893 


.54 


74L8243 


.96 


7418894 


3.15 


74L895 


.74 


74L8244 


1.25 


74L8BB5 


3.15 


74L898 


.88 


74L8245 


1.45 


74L88BB 


2.35 


74L8107 


.38 


74L8247 


.74 


74L8989 


3.15 


74LS109 


.38 


74L824B 


.98 


74L8783 


23.95 


74L8112 


.38 


74L8249 


.98 


61L895 


1.45 


7418113 


.38 


74L8251 


.58 


B1L896 


1.45 


7418114 


.38 


74L8253 


.58 


61L897 


1.45 


7418122 


.44 


74L8257 


.58 


B1L8BB 


1.45 


7418123 


.78 


74L825B 


.58 


25L82521 


2.75 


74L8124 


2.85 


74L8259 


2.70 


25L82569 


4.20 



We will try to BEAT 

All Competitor's Prices 

CALL for Quote! 



8000 

8031 14.90 8253 6.90 

8035 5.00 8253-5 7.00 

8030 5.90 8255 4.45 

4188-6060 19.90 8255-5 4.90 

1*8-8073 20.90 6257 7.90 

8080A 3.00 8257-5 6.90 

8085 4.60 8259 5.90 

8085A-2 11.90 8259-5 6.90 

6086 24.90 8271 60.90 

8087-3 |5 MHz) . . 124.95 8272 10.90 

8087-2 18MHz) . . 199.95 8274 28.90 

8088 18.90 6275 28.90 

8089 59.90 8279 6.90 

8279-5 7.90 

8100 6Z6Z 84B 

° ,UU 8283 8.45 

8131 2.90 6284 4.90 

8155 6.90 8288 8.45 

8155-2 7.90 8287 6.46 

1158 6.90 6288 12.90 

8185 28.90 8289 44.90 

8185-2 38.90 8292 12.90 



8200 

8202 

8203 

8205 

8212 

6214 

8218 

8224 

8226 

8228 

6237 

8237-5 14.90 

8238 4.45 

8243 4.45 

6250 9.90 

8251 3.90 

8251A 4.45 



8300 



23.90 
38.90 
2.90 
1.75 
3.75 
1.75 
2.20 
1.75 
3.45 
12.90 



8303 
8304 
8307 
8306 
8310 
8311 



, 2.90 

, 1.90 

, 2.90 

, 2.90 

, 3.90 

, 3.90 



8700 

8741 28.90 

6748 10.90 

8749 28.90 

8765 23.90 

80000 

80188-8 99.90 

80188 89.90 



THIS IS A SAMPLING 
ONLY . . . CALL WITH 

ALL 
YOUR COMPONENT NEEDS 



CRYSTALS 

ALL STANDARD VALUES... 1.69 

CRYSTAL CLOCK OSC. 

ALL STANDARD VALUES... 4.69 

DIP SWITCHES 

4,5,6,7,6.16 ALL... .79 ea. 

ZIF SOCKETS 

14 pli ZIF 4.89 

18 pli ZIF 4.89 

24 pin ZIF 5.69 

28 pli ZIF 8.69 

40 pli ZIF 9.89 

ORBITAL SYSTEMS: 

EXTENDED BO-Column Card 
for APPLE Me 

• 64Kto 128K Upgrade 

• 2-Year Warranty. . . . $69.95 

Z-BO (CP/M) CARD 

APPLE II+, IIE f 

• Compatible w/all Apple CP/M 

• Lifetime Warranty 69.95 

MEG-O-RAM 
EXPAND DESKTOP 
SPACE 1 MEGABYTE 

on APPLEWORKS t 
APPLE II et...$259.°° 

APPLE ACCESSORIES 

Parallel Printer Card 49.95 

BO-Col. card for Apple II+ ... 149.95 

BO-Col. card for Apple Me ... 129.95 

Serial Card (communicitlon) . . . 69.95 

Cooling Fan 38.95 

Power Supply 69.95 

Joystick 29.95 

Joystick Adapter Apple lie... 14.95 

RF Modulator 13.95 

Disk Drive Full Height 169.95 

Disk Drive Vz Height 169.95 

Controller Cerd 49.95 

Apple Peddles 5.95 

16K Card 39.95 

* BULK * 

x DISKETTES * 

SS/DD 25/$17.25 

DS/DD 25/$19.75 

ATJ disks .... 25/$50.00 
3V2" disks.... 25/$50.00 

ALL DISKETTES HAVE 
A FULL 1-YEAR WARRANTY 



MEMORY 
EXPANSION KIT 



UV ERASERS 



QUV-T8/1 $49.95 

ECONOMY Model 




• Erases 15 EPROMS In 20 minutes 

• Plastic Enclosure 

DOKAY carries the Full Line 
pf LOGICAL DEVICES, Inc. 




41256 150ns 
$2.89 each! 



APPLE 1 or IBM' JOYSTICK 
$ 29, 95 

ft MERCURY MODEMS ft 

For APPLE* and IBM* 
HAYES COMPATIBLE MODEM 195.00 

- FULL ONE YEAR WARRANTY - 

• IBM* ACCESSORIES • 

8087-3 (5 MHz) 124.95 

8087-2 (8 MHz) 144.95 

TEAC 55B 99.95 

TANDONTMlOO-2 129.95 

1 35 W XT POWER SUPPLY . . 99.95 
51 2K RAM MEMORY BOARD . . 1 39.95 
MULTIFUNCTION BOARD 
with 3B4K RAM 179.95 

MACINTOSH 1 UPGRADE 

(Parts only) 

128K to 512K 50.00 

Consists of: 16 41256 150ns 
1 74F253 
17 16 Pin Sockets 

Resistors and Capacitors ALSO INCLUDED 

f A TRADEMARK OF APPLE COMPUTER 
t A TRADEMARK OF IBM CORPORATION 



CALL or WRITE 

for our 
FULL CATALOG 



TERMS: Minimum order $10.00. 
For shipping and handling include 
$2.50 for UPS ground or $3.50 for 
UPS Blue (air). For each additional 
air pound, add $1 .00. California 
residents must include 6% sales 
tax; L A., S.F., S. Cruz, & S. Mateo . 
counties include 6.5% sales tax 
and Santa Clara include 7% sales 
tax. All items subject to availability 
and prices subject to change. 
Typographical errors are not our 
responsibility. 

No additional charge for Master- 
card or Visa. We reserve the right 
to substitute manufacturers and 
to limit Quantities. 

HOURS: Mon - Fri 7 30 to b OO 
Saturdays 10 00 to JOO 
VISIT OUR RETAIL STORE 
2100 De La Cruz Blvri 



ALL MERCHANDISE IS 

100% GUARANTEED 



m 



Inquiry 112 



JANUARY 1956 * BYT:^ 419 



Inquiry 92 



CCT-4 



SYSTEM 
SERIES 



The latest CCT implementation of the new 
generation Intel 16-Bit Processor technology. 
This means extreme speed, unequaled power, 
and the ultimate in reliability, and of course, the 
innovators at CCT behind it. 



This series in the CCT line exploits the speed and power of the Intel 80286 and Zilog Z-80H (8MHz), on the 286Z CPU 
board. This combination, along with CompuPro DM Acontrollers and I/O boards, yields a dramatic improvement in system 
throughput speeds, from basic CP/M operation, up to large powerful multi-user/multi-tasking machines. The CCT-4 
represents the most advanced hardware presently available in a microcomputer to run the thousands of CP/M type 
software programs on the market, and with CONCURRENT DOS 8-16 and the CompuPro PC Graphics board (when 
available), all software written for the IBM PC machines. This series is for the serious business/scientific user. 

CCT-4 A State-of-the-art power in it's basic form. Consists of CCT-286Z CPU board and CCT-M256 (256K), along with Com- 
puPro: Enclosure 2 Desk (21 slot MF), Disk 1A, System Support 1, Interfacer 4, the CCT-2.4 floppy drive system, and 
CP/M 8-16, and with SF-200 surge suppressor system $5,269.00 

CCT-4B Single-user/hard disk power. As the 4A, except priced without the CCT-2.4, toadd in your choice of CCT hard/floppy 

combination drive subsystem, at the published pricing $4,149.00 

(Example: CCT-4B Mainframe with CCT-10/1 = $6, 198.00) Plus cost of selected drive subsystem 

CCT-4C ^ Multi-user/hard disk power. As the 4B, with the CCT-M512 (512K static RAM board) instead of M256; Interfacer 3 in- 

V ^ stead of Interfacer 4; SF-400 instead of SF-200, plus Concur. DOS 8-16 O.S. (4 to 6 user system) .... $4,999.00 

♦$^. (Example: CCT-4C Mainframe with CCT-40/1 = $8,048.00) Plus cost of selected dr,ve subsystem 

x$^A^^ Limited Time Offer - FREE 80287 and Supercalc 86 with any CCT-4! 
Xvcj!r The above systems include all necessary cabling, assembly, testing, minimum 20 hour burn-in, r/ *ȣ^ 
v^ ^ and the CCT unconditional 12 month direct warranty. A*/ 

CCT-M512 WORLD'S TOP SELLING CCT STATIC RAM. IEEE Standard 12MHz. 512K in one slot! — Special Price: $799 * 
CCT-M256 256K version of M512 upgradeable to full 512K. Perfect 256K RAM board for any CompuPro system S439 



%c%s 



CUSTOM COMPUTER TECHNOLOGY / BOX 4160 / SED0NA, ARIZONA 86340 

TOLL FREE ORDERING: 800-222-8686 / For technical support / service: 602-282-6299 



BYTE 



back issues for sale 





1981 


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1985 


Jan. 


S3. 25 




S3. 70 


$4.25 


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Feb. 


S3. 25 


S3. 70 


S3. 70 


$4.25 


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S3. 70 


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SPECIAL ISSUES and INDEX 


BYTE '83-'84 INDEX 




$1.75 


1984 Special Guide to IBM PC's 


[Vol. 9, No. 9) 


$4.75 


1985 INSIDE THE IBM PCs (Vol 


10, No. 1!) 


$4.75 



Circle and send requests with payments to: 
BYTE Back Issues 
P.O. Box 328 
Hancock, NH 03449 

Prices include postage in the US. Please add $.50 per 
copy for Canada and Mexico; and S2.00 per copy to 
foreign countries (surface delivery). 

Payments from foreign countries must be made in 
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weeks for foreign delivery. 

NAME 



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STATE 



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420 B YTE • JANUARY 1986 



TOLL-FREE 

ORDERING: 

800-222-8686 

FOR TECHNICAL SUPPORT/ 

SERVICE / IN ARIZONA: 

602-282-6299 



CCT 



CUSTOM COMPUTER 
TECHNOLOGY 4 

1 CCT PLAZA — P.O. BOX 4160 — SEDONA, ARIZONA 86340 

Purchase your Hardware and Software directly from an OEM / Systems Integrator Take advantage of our buying power! We stock 
a full line of Board Level Components, Software and Peripherals. Call for your needs. We'll give you the Lowest Prices, and the Technical 
Support and Know-How we are quickly becoming well-known for. Satisfied Customers Nationwide. The Nation's Custom Systems 
House for Business, Education and Science. Call for a system quote. CCT implements tomorrow's technology today!™ 



• FOREMOST QUALITY • ADVANCED SUPPORT • REASONABLE COST • 






CCT 



© 



ompuPro 



80286 NOW! 

□ CCT-286Zisourmodeldesignation 
for the MI-286 dual processor board 
from Macrotech.lt features the super 
high speed combination of Z-80H and 
80286, with provision for the 80287 
math chip. Directly replaces 8085/88 
and 8086 CPUs running CP/M, MP/M 
Concurrent DOS, and MS-DOS, at 
throughput increases of 3X to 5X! 
SPECIAL PRICE -$795 
80287 Option - Installed - $250 



SEE THE CCT-4 SERIES 

USING THIS BOARD 

DETAILED ON THE FACING PAGE 



NOW! 
BATTERY BACK-UP 

ON 
CCT RAM BOARDS! 

VOLATILE PRICES 

CALL FOR QUOTE 



LIBERTY TERMINALS 

• Superior Reliability • 
110-14" GREEN-80/132 Column .. CLOSE 

110-14" AMBER OUT 

200-14" GREEN-80/132SuperDeluxe PRICES 
200-14" AMBER CALU! 

OKIDATA PRINTERS -Top Quality 
82 -80 Col .. CALL 83 -132 Col .. CALL 
92 -80 Col .. CALL 93 -132 Col .. CALL 
84 - 132 Col/200cps— Top of the Line , CALL 

For Serial Interfaces CALL 

TOSHIBA P351 - 288 CPS/24 PIN - $1499 

DIABLO — Letter Quality Series 
Model 620 . $969 Model 630 $1799 

WE HAVE ALL SOFTWARE-CALL 



$ ACROSS THE BOARD PRICE REDUCTIONS $ 



INDUSTRIAL GRADE 
SUPERIOR QUAUTY 



CCT DISK DRIVE SYSTEMS 

S-100 HARD DISK SUBSYSTEMS 



ROLLS ROYCES OF 
THE INDUSTRY 



Professionally engineered ST-506 type systems forthe business market S-100 Computer user. Includes 
industrytopqualitydrives, CompuPro Disk 3 DMA controller, all cabling, A&T, formatted, burned-in. Pro- 
visions for up to two hard disks in each system. We include operating system update. CP/M 80, CP/M 
86, CP/M 8-16, CCP/M 8-16, CP/M 68K. (/1 Systems areCCT innovated hard/floppy combinations, with 
Mitsubishi DSDD 8" drive.) 12 month warranty. 



CCT-10(11 + MEG) $1499 

CCT-20(22+ MEG) $2019 

CCT-40 (36 + MEG) $2499 

CCT-60(58 + MEG) $3699 

CCT-90(87 + MEG) $4909 

CCT-125(123 + MEG) $6099 



CCT-10/1 $2049 

CCT-20/1 $2569 

CCT-40/1 $3049 

CCT-60/1 $4249 

CCT-90/1 $5459 

CCT-125/1 $6649 



HOT NEW PRINTERF ACER 1 ™ - Print buffer I/O Board. Up to 1 Meg. RAM on board. Looks as/works with 
CCT lnterfacer3/4. Single or Multiuser/Interrupt driven or polled. Super-slick design handles one serial, one parallel, 
BOARD software switchable. Also for Zenith and Alpha. Intro Price — $349. 



ooto. n i.„n*nn FLOPPY SYSTEMS OOT c 

CCT-2.4 • Dual 8" DSDD CCT-5 • 5 1 /4 M DSDD 

Mitusbishi 2.4 Megabyte in Extra Heavy horizontal enclosure, IBM Compatible Mitsubishi 360K. Extra Heavy Cabinet 
removeable filter air system, all cabling, A&T, Burned in. The accommodates two drives, hard or floppy. All cabling, A&T, 

fastest system available: $1229 Burned-in. Perfect for our Concurrent DOS Package . $399 

CCT-8/5 • FULL IBM COMPATIBILITY 

One Mitsubishi 8" DSDD (1 .2 Meg)/One 5-V4 " DSDD (360K) IBM Drive 

For Concurrent DOS and PC DOS $1029 



* SUPERPRICES * COMPUPRO COMPONENTS* INSTOCK • 

CPU-Z-$229 • Disk 1A- $399 • Disk 1Aw/CP/M- $499 • CPU 8086/10 -$359 • SPU-Z-? 

CPU 8085/88 -$229 • CPU 286 -$849 • CPU68K- 10Mhz-$359 

Disk 3 -$459 • RAM 22 (256K) - ? • RAM23/64K-$229/128K-$299 

SUPER SALE - M-Drive/H - 512K - $399 / 2 Meg - $899 

Enclosure 2 Desk - $699/Rack - $749 • Interfacer 3 - $409 • Interfaced -$289 • System Support 1 - $299 

Concurrent DOS 8-16 (CCTCMX) - $309 • CP/M 80 (CCFHMX) - $125 • CP/M 86 (CCTTMX) - $175 

CP/M 8-16 (CCTTMX)- $199 • CP/M 68K (CCTCX) - $279 • Operating System Updates/Remakes -$30 



16 Bit Upgrade Kit: CP/M 86, RAM 23, System Support 1, Cable $649 D CP/M 8-16 - Kit - $673 



CCT-1 - ENTRY LEVEL S-100 BUSINESS SYSTEM 

Enclosure 2-Desk-21 Slot Mainframe • • CCr-2.4-Dual 8" Mitsubishi 

• CPU-Z - 6 Mhz Z-80 CPU Board • DSDD Drive System - 2.4 Megabytes • 
Disk 1A - DMA Floppy Disk Controller • • CP/M 80 - 2.2 HMX - CCT Modified • 

• RAM 23 - 64K Static RAM - 12Mhz • . A || Cabling, Complete CCT Assembly, 

• Interfacer 4 - 3 Serial/2 Parallel I/O • Testing, and Minimum 20 Hour Burn-in • 

RUNS ALL STANDARD 8 " CP/M SOFTWARE - INCLUDES OUR EXCLUSIVE 1 2 MONTH DIRECT WARRANTY 



SPECIAL PRICE 

$3,150 



Prices & availability subject to change. All products new, and carry full manufacturer's warranties. Call for catalog. Free technical help to anyone. All products we sell are CCT individually tested 
and set up for your system - Plug-In & Go! Arizona residents add sales tax CCT© Trademark — Custom Computer Technology; MS-DDS© Trademark — Microsoft; IBM© Trademark — 
International Business Machines; CompuPro© Trademark — W.J. Godbout; CP/M © MP/M © Trademarks — Digital Research HERCU LES™ Trademark — Hercules Computer Technology 






Inquiry 93 



JANUARY 1986 -BYTE 421 



Inquiry 342 



SUNTROIMICS CO-INC. 

12603 Crenshaw Blvd., Hawthorne, CA 90250 



1-800-421-5775 (Order Only) 

(213) 644-1 140 (CA Order & Info ) 

STORE HOURS 
Mon Fri 9am to 6 p m 

Sat 10 a m 10 5 o m 



TERMS VISA MASTERCARD COD iCashOrCenii.ee) 
Oecu Requiredi Chech (Anow 2 3 Weeks <or Cieanngi 
Shipping & H C S3 00 for 3 Lbs Pius 50c loi each add Lb 
Caii' residents addCam SaiesTaxSiO 00 Minimum Order 
IBM and Appie are registeredirade marks o> IBM S App>e 





SUN-XT COMPUTER 

(IBM PC/XT COMPATIBLE) 

D RAM EXPANDABLE 
TO 640 K 

D USES MS & PC-DOS 
OPERATING 
SYSTEMS 

□ RUN LOTUS 1-2-3 
FLIGHT SIMULATOR 
SYMPHONY DBASE 
II & III AUTO CAT, 

WORD STAR, MULTI 
PLAN . . . ETC. 

(DOES NOT RUN PROG. 
REQUIRE ROM BASIC.) 

D CPU BOARD W/256 K RAM 

D COMPUTER CABINET 

D FULL FUNCTION KEYBOARD 

D 135 W/POWER SUPPLY 

D 2 DSDD DISK DRIVES 

D FDC W/CABLE 

□ TTL MONITOR (AMBER OR GREEN) 
D MONOCHROME GRAPHICS CARD 

W/PARALLEL PRINTER PORT. 

□ FULLY AST 

(MEETS FCC CLASS "A" REG. FOR IND. 
& BUS. USE)^ _ _ _ ^^ 

only 5895.00 

DEALER fiOEM INQUIRES INVITED!! 



SUN-XT CPU 

D 8088 CPU [8087 OPTION) 

D RAM EXPANDABLE TO 840K 

D FULLY IBM COMPATIBLE 

D OIMEN8ION SAME A8 IBM PC/XT 

□ NO RAM INCLUOEO 

O 8 EXPANSION 8LOT8 



S175.00 



FLOPPY DISK 
CONTROLLER 

D STANDARD DOUBLE BIDE 

DOUBLE OEN8ITY 
D RUN 2 INTERNAL fi 

2 EXTERNAL 
D WITH CABLE $33. UU 



IBM STYLE CABINET 

D 8 BLOT BACK PANEL 

D COMEB WITH MOUNTING 

BRACKET fi HARDWARE 
D FITS IBM POWER SUPPLY 



$59.00 



COLOR GRAPHIC CARD 

D RGB fi COMPOSITE UIOEO 

D 840 x 200 HIGH-RES 

D 320 x 200 LO-RE8 

D 80 x 25 TEXTMODE 

D LIGHT PEN INTERFACE 



$99.00 



HIGH RESOLUTION 
MONOCHROME MONITOR 

D 12" AMBER OR GREEN 
D 1000 LINES AT CENTER 
D 20MHZ BANOWIOTH 
D BEPARATE TTL SIGNAL INPUT 
D OUAL INTENSITY SIGNAL LEVEL 
D HIGH PERFORMANCE SHARP 
IMAGES 



$105.00 



MONOCHROME 
GRAPHIC CARD 

D HIGH-RE8 CHARACTER 

D 720(H) x 348(V) 

D 80 x 25 TEXT MODE 

D RUN LOTUS 1-2-3 ETC. 

D WITH PARALLEL PRINTER PORT 



$120.00 



MULTI-FUNCTION 
BOARD 

D RAM EXPANDABLE TO 3B4|0 K] 

D SERIAL/PARALLEL PORT 

O CLOCK CALENDAR W/BATTERY 

BACKUP 
D GAME PORT 
D SPOOL fi RAM DISK 



$129.00 



MULTI-I/O BOARD 

D FLDPPYDI8K DRIVE CONTROLLER 
D PARALLEL PRINTER PORT 
D SERIAL I/O PORT (OPTION DUAL) 
D CLOCK CALENOAR W/BATTERY 

BACKUP 
D GAMEPORT 



$149.00 



RGB COLOR MONITOR 

D 14" DISPLAY OB-8 CONNECTOR 
D 840 x 240 HIGH-RES 
a 2500 CHARACTERS (80 x 32) 
D RGB TTL LEVEL, INTENSITY 

SIGNAL 
D 0.38 mm OOT PITCH 
D H-8CANNING 14.5K-17.8KHZ 



$365.00 



FULL FUNCTION 
KEYBOARD 

D 83 KEY FULL FUNCTION 
D POWER, CAPS, NUM LIGHT 

INDICATOR 
D MECHANICAL TYPE SWITCH 
3 W.TH CABLE $?g QQ 



135W POWER SUPPLY 



$89.00 



150W POWER SUPPLY 



$109.00 



6 OUTLET SURGE SUPPRESSOR 

[MIDLAND ROSS IND.) $14.50 



10 MB HARD DISK w/CONT. 

$450.00 



20MB HARD DISK w/CONT 

$550.00 



A8YNC R8232 



$59.00 



PARALLEL PRINTER CARD 

$39.00 



TEAC 55 BV 

OR TOSHIBA IMD-04 

DISK DRIVE 



$89.00 



HARD DISK DRIVE CONTROLLER 

(10MB OR 20MB) $159.00 



64K RAM KIT (9 EA) 



S8.50/KIT 



25BKRAM KIT (9 EA) 

S29.00/KIT 



PARALLEL PRINTER CABLE 

$15.00 



CITIZEN M8P-10 PRINTER 

$299.00 



TOSHIBA 1340 PRINTER 

$599.00 



DSDD 5V« DISKETTE 

$12.95/per 10 ea 



EPRQM BLASTER FOR IBM, HIGH 
SPEED. BURNSIN 45 SEC. PROG. 
2716, 32, 64, 12B 5139.00 




"= 1-800" 
!=-=.= 872-4727 



PC-256K. 1 

10 MB 




$2,260 00 



256K, 1/360 Floppy, 10 MB Hard Disk 



MONITORS 



$169°° 
$159°° 
$165°° 




Amdek 310A 

Taxan 121, Green 

Taxan 122, Amber 

TVM MD-3 

(Amber, Green, RGB) $449°° 

COMREX CR6700 (RGB) .$299°° 

DISK DRIVES 

INTERNAL HARD DISK (with controller) 
10MB Rodime (Compaq Upgrade 

Kit) $529°° 

10MB V2 Height Seagate $395°° 

20MB V 2 Height Seagate $495°° 

External Case $149°° 

FLOPPY DISK DRIVES 

V 2 Height Mitsubishi $85°° 

PC* USA Has It All 

• Honesty 

• Price 

• Service 

• Delivery 



2003 108th St., Suite 301 Grand Prairie, TX 75050 
214-641-6953 Metro 647-4008 Texas Wats 1-800-441-0975 
National Wats 1-800-872-4727 Business Hours (M - F 9 - 6) CT 



TELEPHONE SALES ONLY - NOT 
OPEN TO THE PUBLIC • MINIMUM 
ORDER S200 00 lor free delivery • 
TERMS VISA. MASTERCARD. 
CASHIERS CHECK. WIRE TRANSFER- 
(C O D. call lor details) • ALL ITEMS 
SUBJECT TO AVAILABILITY AND 
PRICE CHANGE • ALL PRODUCTS 
ARE NEW AND CARRY MFG AND/OR 
PC'USA WARRANTY PLEASE CALL 
FOR WORK-ORDER NUMBER BEFORE 
RETURNING DEFECTIVE MERCHAN- 
DISE UNAUTHORIZED RETURNS 
SUBJECT TO A RESTOCKING FEE • 
ALL SALES ARE FINAL 



comPAa 



Portable Hard Disk System 
256K 1/360K Floppy, 10 MB Hard Disk 



$2318°° 




$435900 \mk 



(Monitor Extra 



Systems Include . . . 
IBM AT and Keyboard, IBM 1.2 Meg 
Floppy, Panasonic 360K Floppy, 
Seagate (ST4026) 20 MB Hard Disk 
(40 MS Access Time) 

TEAC 20MB Tape Backup $839 



PRINTERS 

EPSON LX 80 . $215°° COMREX CRIV .$499°° 
EPSON LQ 1500 .$920°° Okidata 192P . . .$369°° 
COMREX CRII . .$299°° Okidata 193P . . .$499°° 

CANON LASER BEAM $2495°° 



422 BYTE • JANUARY 1986 



Inquiry 275 



A Happy & Prosperous New Year From Computer Connection 



For The Best Prices & Service 
Call (800) 732-0304 



PRINTERS 

STAR MICRONICS 

SG-10,120cps,2K buffer $ 219 

SG-15, 120cps,2K buffer 375 

SD-10, 160 cps, 10" carriage , 359 

SD-15, 160 cps, Corr. Qual 469 

SR-10,200cps, 10" carriage 499 

SR-15,200cps,w/tractor 599 

SB-10 Draft &NLQ 24 wire printhead . 625 
OKIDATA 

ML182P120cps We 

ML182IBMGraphicsComp Will 

ML182S10"Carriage Beat 

ML192P,160cps all 

ML192IBMGraphicsComp Pricing 

ML192S,160cps on 

ML193P,160cps Oki 

ML193 IBM Graphics Comp .. . Printers 

ML193S,160cps with 

ML84P,200cps or 

ML84IBM without 

ML84S,200cps IBM 

Oklmate20 Rom 

EPSON 

LX80, 100 cps, 10" carriage Call 

FX80 + , 160cps, 10" carriage Us 

RX100, 100 cps, 15" carriage First 

FX100+,160cps, 15" carriage For 

LQ1500 Draft NLQ Lowest 

SQ2000, All New Prices 

'We Are An Authorized Dealer 
BROTHER 

HR-25 $ 439 

HR-35 649 

DYNAX 

DX15XL,20cps By Brother $ 329 

DH-45 Dual Head, LQ & Dot Matrix . . 829 
JUKI 
6100,L.Q.18cpsw/proportionalspc.$ 349 

6300 L.Q. 40 cps 675 

TOSHIBA 

P1340P $ 525 

P1340S 525 

P351 P/S, Faster and More Versatile 1 145 

PANASONIC 

1091 wn"ractor,120cps,1yr. war. . .$ 239 

1092, 10"carriage, 180 cps 375 

1093, 15" carriage, 160 cps 535 

HARD DISK DRIVES 

MICRO-SCI 

10 Meg w/cont. formatted for IBM $ 385 

20Meg w/cont. formatted for IBM 599 

ALPHA OMEGA 

10Megw/ControllerCard $ 529 

20 Meg w/ControllerCard 629 

30Megw/ControllerCard 999 

20MegforAT 550 

33MegforAT 775 

DISK DRIVES 

TANDON 

TM100-2forlBMPC $ 89 

MITSUBISHI 

VaHt.360K $ 110 

TEAC 

55B Double Sided 360K $ 99 

Quad Density 159 

Drives For Apple & Franklin 
MICRO-SCI 

A-2 $ 155 

A.5C for lie w/cable . 155 

A.5V2 height for ME 115 

Controller Add 55 

10 meg. w/cont 645 

20 meg. w/cont 845 



PRINTER 
ACCESSORIES 

ORANGE MICRO 

Grappler + $ 75 

Buffered Grappler + , 16K exp.64K . 149 

TOSHIBA 

Bi-DirectionalTrac. 1351/351 . . .$ 149/155 

Font Disk for Down loading P1351 . . 50 

MICROTEK 

DumplingGX(sameasGrappler + ) $ 65 

Dumpling GXw/16K buffer 119 

DumplingGXw/32Kbuffer 129 

Additional Buffering 16K 7 

FOURTH DIMENSION 

Par. Card& Cable for Apple $ 49 

OKIDATA 

Plug and Play for IBM $ 49 

Tractor for 182 & 192 39 

JUKI 

Bi-Direc,Tractorfor6100/6300 .$ 115/125 

Serial interface 65 

CABLES 

IBM PC to Parallel Printer $ 18 

Serial Cable 16 

Centronics M/M or M/F 16 



DISPLAY MONITORS 

QUADRAM 

Amber chrome IBM compatible .... $ 169 

AMDEK 

V300G $ 119 

V300A 1 25 

V310Afor IBM PC 155 

Color300 199 

Color500 Color Composite 319 

Color600 RGB Hi-Res 399 

Coior710Super Hi-Res 545 

TAXAN 

IBM Green Monochrome#121 $ 129 

IBM Amber Monochrome#122 139 

RGB IBM w/Cable#620 389 

RGB Super Hi-Res.#640 Best Buy . 489 
RGB/#630 389 

PRINCETON GRAPHICS 

HX-12 for use with IBM PC $ 440 

Max 12E Amber for IBM 169 

SR12SuperHi-Res 575 

Scan Doubler 185 

QUIMAX 

PX-4, RGB Hi-Res w/Gr. Text Mode .$ 410 
DM-14 Monochrome for IBM 150 




m 



NEW YEAR SPECIALS!! 



IBM STARTER 

• IBM PC • 128K -One 360K 
Disk Drive • Amber Monitor 

$1750 



COMPAQ STARTER 

• Compaq Port • 256K • One 
360K Disk Drive • 10 meg. 

$2399 



IBM PROFESSIONAL COMPAQ PROFESSIONAL 



• IBM XT • Two 360K Disk Drive 

• 20 meg. H.D. • 2 Par. & 1 Ser. 
Port • Clock/Cal. 640K • Taxan 

# 620. • DOS 3.1 

$3099 



• Compaq Desk Pro • 640K 

• One 360K Disk Drive • 20 
meg. H.D. • 10 meg Tape B/U 
Taxan #620 • Par. & Ser. Ports 

$3185 



"THE COMPANY THAT DELIVERS" 



IBM PC ACCESSORIES 



IBM 

IBMDos3.1 $ 



65 




PARADISE 

ModularGraphicsCard $ 259 

ModuleA 75 

ModuleB256Kw/C&C 120 

5-Paksameas6Pak-Ser.Port 175 

64K MEMORY UPGRADE 

64K(9chips)200ns& 150ns $9.99 

HEXACE TECHNOLOGIES 

HI-ResCoiorCardforPC.XT.AT . . .$ 110 

QUADRAM 

QuadColoM Board $ 179 

Exp. Quadboardw/64K& Game Port 199 
Quadlink3000RunApplesftonlBM 329 



VUTEK (2 yr. war.) 

Vutek - CPS Board, RGB & Composite 

w/Par. & Ser. Ports, 2 Yr. War $ 189 

Color Card (Here, comp.) w/Para. ... 1 50 
Monographic Card (Here, comp.) . . . 275 
AST RESEARCH 

SixPak + W/64K& Sidekick $ 215 

SixPak+ W/384K& Sidekick 255 

Game Port 49 

KEYTRONICS 

KB5151 $ 175 

MICROTEK 

Monochrome Text Par. & Ser $ 169 

ColorGraphicsCard 165 

TECHMAR 

Graphics Master $ 449 

256K Memory Upgrade 99 



APPLE & FRANKLIN ACCESSORIES 



ACCESSORIES 

Kensington SystemSaver $ 69 

Masterpiece Control Unit 99 

MICROTEK 

Serial Interface $ 75 

MICROMAX 

Viewmax 128K extended 80 col. card 

forAppleliEw/64K $ 99 

80col.cardforApDlell&ii+ 139 



ADVANCED LOGIC SYSTEMS 

Z Engine 2.2 $ 115 

80 Col./64K 69 

APPLE 

Super Serial Card $ 139 

SMT 

64K,80col. Card, 3yr. war $ 49 

MICRO-SCI 

64K,80Coi.Card $ 79 



PERSONAL SYSTEMS 

APPLE 

Professional Sys. inch Apple HE w/128K & 
80 col., tilt moa, duo disk w/con't kit . $1339 

Apple lie Lightweight Portable 789 

IBM 

IBM PC64K, 1 Drive $1460* 

IBM PC, 2 Drives w/256K 1535* 

IBMXT,10Meg.,360KDr.w/256K . 2399* 

IBM XT Bare w/256K & IBM Floppy . 1899* 

Call About All "AT" Systems 

'Call for current IBM prices 

SANYO 

MBC 550-2 W/1.320K Drive &sftwr. .$ 750 
MBC 555-2 w/2, 320K Drives & 

more software 899 

775 Portable 1795 

Serial Port for Sanyo 65 

COMPAQ 

256K, w/2 -320K Drives $1899 

DeskTop Model 1 1649 

DeskTop Model 2 1925 

DeskTop Model3 Call 

DeskTop Model4 Call 

We have "286" Ports. & D.P. in stock 
WYSE 
1100-1 Incl. 256K w/two 360K Drives, 1 par 

& 2 ser. ports $1399 

1 1 00-2 incl. 1 meg, 1 floppy, 256K, 1 par. & 

2 ser. ports 2599 

*Wyse Monitors & Exp. Chasis Available 

SOFTWARE 

LOTUS DEVELOPMENT CORP. 

Lotus1-2-3 $289 

Symphony 420 

ASHTON TATE 

DBase II $ 299 

DBase III 389 

PRINTER SWITCH BOX 

EXPONENT 

CentronicsTwoSwitch $ 60 

CentronicsFourSwitch 85 

Serial Two Switch 45 

Serial Four Switch . 69 

MODEMS 

ANCHOR 

Volksmodem XII $ 185 

Express 1200 255 

HAYES MICRO 

300BaudSmartModem $ 149 

1200 Baud Smart Modem 379 

1200BforlBMPCw/SMII 375 

2400 Baud Modem 645 

Micro Modem ME 149 

Chronograph 189 

300 For Apple He w/Sftwr Call 

DISKETTES 

PC DISKETTES 

Sgl./Dbl.(Boxof10) $ 13 

Dbi./Dbl.(Boxof10) 15 

COMPUTER CONNECTION 

Dbi./Dbl.(Boxof10) $ 16 

Sgi./Dbl.w/DiskContainer(10) 15 

Dbi./Dbl.w/DiskContainer 17 

Bulk50&Up-Dbl./Dbl 1.35ea. 



We Stock What We Sell! ! 

IF YOU SEE IT ADVERTISED FOR LESS, CALL 
COMPUTER CONNECTION FIRST FOR LOWEST QUOTE! 



MAIL ORDER: 

17121 S. Central Avenue, Unit L 
Carson, California 90746 



NO SURCHARGE FOR CREDIT CARDS 



We accept VISA, MasterCard, COD 
[w/depositj, Certified Checks or 
Wire Transfers. Minimum Shipping 
Charge $4.00. Some items subject 
to back order. California Res. add 
GVt% Sales Tax. AM returns are 
subject to a 15% restocking charge 
and must be authorized by store 
manager within 10 days. Prices 
subject to change without notice. 
This Ad supersedes all others. 



ORDER LINE 
(800) 732-0304 

[Outside California] 

[213] 635-2BD9 

[Inside California) 
Mon.-Fri. 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. 
Saturday 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. 

CUSTOMER SERVICE: 
[213] 635-5065 
Mon.-Fri. 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. 



Inquiry 75 



JANUARY 1986 'BYTE 423 



<Fompu$ave 

Call Toll Free: 1-800-624-8949 



IN ARIZONA CALL (602) 967-3532 



COMPUTERS 

I Altos 586-20 Multiuser System 5199 

AT&T 6300-PC/1 Floppy Drive 1 679 

Lazer3000/1 FDrive/AppleComp 425 

| Televideo PM-4T Multiuser System. . . 4895 

Wyse-PC/2 Floppy Drives 1159 

Wyse-XT/1 FDrive/10M HDrive 1879 

Zenith 158-PC/1 Floppy Drive 1549 

Zenith 171-PC Port/2 FDrives 1879 

Amstrad/Columbia/Corvus CALL 

Compaq/Corona/IBM/Molecular. . . . CALL 
NEC/Onyx/Olivetti/Sharp/Sperry . . . CALL 



ZENITH 148PC WITH 1 DRIVE 
VERY IBM COMPATIBLE. ... 995 



MODEMS 

I AST Reach Hall-Card W/Soft (Int) 325 

Anchor Volksmodem (Ex) 55 

Anchor Signalman Express (Ex) 235 

| Hayes Micromodem HE W/Soft 128 

Hayes Smartmodem 300 W/Soft (Ex). . 155 
Hayes Smartmodem 1 200 (Ex) 361 

I Hayes Smartmodem 1200B (Int) 309 

Novation Apple Cat II (Int) 192 

Novation J-Cat 300 (Ex) 98 

I Novation Half-Card 2400 (Int) 439 

Racal-Vadic 300 PC W/Soft (Int) 98 

Racal-Vadic 1200V W/Solt (Ex) 215 

Racal-Vadic 2400V W/Soft (Ex) 399 

Ven-Tel PC Modem Hall-Card (Int) 375 

AT&T/Prometheus/U.S. Robotics. . . .CALL 



PRINTERS 

Citizen MSP10....248 Abati LO. . . . 199 ] 
C. Itoh F10-55....949 Juki 6100. ..345 
Data Prod. 8052. . 1129 Juki 6200. . . 495 
Data South 220. .1295 Juki 6300. .. 665 

Diablo D25 535 NEC 3550. .. 985 

Epson LX90 W/IF .269 NEC ELF. ... 385 

Panasonic 1080. . . 205 NEC P5 965 

Panasonic 1091 ..234 Star SG10..209 
Panasonic 3131... 285 Tally MT86. .419 

Toshiba 341 899 Tl 855 549 

Toshiba 1340 469 Cables 10'... 19 

Anadex/Brother/Canon/Okidata CALL 

Oume/Silver-Reed/Televideo CALL 

Buffers/Sheet Feeders/Tractors CALL 

Stands/Switches/Ribbons 20% OFF 

Houston DNIP 41/42 Plotter 2495 

Roland DXY 880 Plotter 975 

Houston TG8024 Digitizer 2395 

Other Plotters And Digitizers CALL 

TERMINALS 



Adds Viewpoint + .. 429 

Altos III 595 

Ampex 210 365 

Ampex 219 519 

Ampex 230 449 

Televideo 914 539 

Televideo 922 595 

Televideo 955 458 

IBM/Liberty/LSI/Samsu 



Oume 101G..289 
Oume 201G..525 
Oume 202G..595 



Wyse 50. . 
Wyse 75. . 
Wyse 85. . 
Wyse 350. 
Zenith Z29 



.418 
.555 
.575 
.855 
.608 



MONITORS 




BUI 14" Color... 


.349 


Amdek300G.116 


Princeton HX9. . . 


.415 


Amdek310A.142 


Princeton HX12. . 


.432 


Amdek 500 


.255 


Princeton MAX12. 


.162 


Amdek700. 


.399 


Princeton SR1 2. . . 
Tatung CM 1370. . 


.579 
.499 


Taxan 115.. 
Taxan 122.. 


.115 
.139 


Thomson 31021G. 


.139 


Taxan 620.. 


.389 


Thomson 36432. . 
Wyse 600 W/Card 


.345 
519 


Taxan 640.. 
Wyse 500. . 


.499 
.169 


Zenith 122/123.. 


.79 


Zenith 1240 


.169 


NEC/Panasonic/Roland/1 


"ecmar. .... 


CALL 


Corona/Magnavox/Quadram 


CALL 


Cables/Interfaces/Stands 


CALL 


QUALITY PRODUCTS 



ng/Visual . . CALL 



AT EXTREMELY LOW 
DISCOUNT PRICES. 



DISK DRIVES 

I Apple CompatibleFloppy Drives 125 I 

IBM Compatible Floppy Drives 95 

Seagate 10M Subsystem/IBM Comp. . .439 
Seagate 20M Subsystem/IBM Comp. . . 539 

| Tape Back Up Systems CALL | 

OTHER FLOPPY AND HARD DRIVES 
• ALPHA OMEGA • MITSUBISHI 

I • CONTROL DATA • PRIAM 

• CORVUS • SHUGART 

• IOMEGA • TANDON 
I'MAYNARD • TEAC 

' MICRO SCI • TECMAR 
| LOW PRICES CALL! 

Ilnquiry 70| 



HOURS: MON - FRI 8AM - 6PM/SAT 9AM - 2PM 



CompuSave 3010 S. 48th St., Suite 8, Phoenix, AZ 85040, (602) 967*3533 

Purchase Orders and All Major Credit Cards Welcome 

Prices Reflect Cash Discounts. Minimum Shipping Charge $4 

A Division of Adlanko Corporation 



BOARDS 




AST Advantage W/128K 


.375 


AST Six Pack Plus W764K 


.209 


Cardo G-Whiz (Commodore) 


...55 


Hercules Color Card 


.143 


Hercules Monochrome Graphics. . . . 


.289 


Micro Sci 80/64E (Apple) 


...75 


Orange Grappler + (Apple) 


..70 


Orange Hot Link (Apple) 


...49 


Orchid Conquest/OK 


..265 


Orchid PCturbo 186/256K 


.635 


Paradise Modular Graphics 


.258 


Paradise Multi-Display 


.189 


Persyst Short-Port Color Card 


.159 


Persyst Bob Board 


.335 


Premier Color-Pack Card 


.115 


Ouadram 0uadboard/384K 


225 


Ouadram Silver Ouadboard/OK 


.219 


STB Graphics Plus II 


.235 


Tecmar Captain/384K 


.225 


Tecmar Maestro AT 


.379 


ABM/Logicom/Microtek/PGS 


CALL 


Practical Peripherals/Thesys 


CALL 


WE ALSO CARRY 




Bonus Diskettes/SS-DD (Bx) 


...12 


Bonus Diskettes/DS-DD (Bx) 


...17 


Verbatim/Maxell/Memorex/Others . 


CALL 


SOFTWARE 




Apple/Atari/IBM /Commodore 




Keyboards/Joysticks/Power Supp 


ies 


Chips/ Mice/Labels/Surge Protectors 


Cables/Graphics Tablets/Light Pens 



-BYTE CONNECTION INC 

ECTTCA4 LINE PRICE BUSTERS! - "Whc V€U fionna call?" 

(714) 778-6496 



PERSONAL COMPUTERS: 



UBM *1 (IBM Compatible), 384K, two 360 floppies, hi-res graphics card, 

monitor and K.B .. $ 995 

UBM* II, all the above, W/10MBHD $1495 



AT & T 6300, 256K, two 360 floppies, AT & T graphics card, 

monitor and K.B , 

all the above, w/360 floppy and 20MB HD drive 

AT&T 7300 



COMPAQ PORTABLE, 640K. 360 floppy, 10MB HD 

COMPAQ DESK PRO, 640K, two 360 floppies, hi-res graphics card, K.B.. 

all the above w/360 floppy, 10MB HD, 10MB tape b/u . 

with 30MB : 

COMPAQ PORTABLE MODEL 286, 512K, two 1.2 MB floppies . 

above with one 1.2 floppy, 20MB HD . . . 

COMPAQ DESK PRO MODEL 286, 640K. two 1.2 floppies, hi-res 

graphics card, monitor and K.B., S.P., C/C .- 

above with one 1.2 MB floppy, 20MB HD, 1 0MB tape b/u 

above W/30MB HD 

above W/70MB HD and 60MB tape b/u. 



IBM PC, 256K, two 360 floppies, hi-res graphics card, monitor, 

P., S, C/C, KB $209 

above w/360 floppy, 1 0MB HD, 10MB tape b/u $31 3 

IBM PC XT. 640K, 360 floppy, 20MB HD, 1 0MB tape b/u $366 

IBM PC AT, 512K, 1.2 MB floppy, 20MB HD, S., P., C/C, hi-res graphics card, 

monitor, KB $444 

IBM PC AT, above with 70MB HD, 60MB tape b/u ", . $69€ 

We carry ail name brand MFC, modems, monitors, monitor adapters ; 

and software. Call for what is not listed. 
WE GUARANTEE THAT YOUR CALL WILL NOT BE A WASTE. 



PRINTERS: 

AN ADEX 9620 - 9752 . . . 

BROTHER DM40 -DH45 

CITIZEN MSP15- 25 

COMREXCRMI 

DATA PRODUCT 8070 - 8072. 
DATA PRODUCT LINE PRINTERS. 

DIABLO P32 - 34LQ. 

DIABLO AP1 -P38... 

EPSON 85-185 

HPLAZERJET 

HP LAZER J ET PLUS 

NEC 3550 - 8850 

OKIDATA192-193 

OKIDATA84-2410 

PANASONIC 1093 

TOSHIBA1340 

TOSHIBA P351 

PLOTTERS & DIGITIZERS: 

CALCOMP 1 043 

HP7475 

HITACHI DIGITIZERS..... 

H1 DMP41 -42 

HI DMP51/52 

H1 DMP51MP-52MP 

NICOLETDPX 

ROLANDDPX 

Tl 

10 LINE 

SPECIAL OF THE MONTH 

20 MB HD, SUBSYSTEM 

3O,40,7OMB 



163 West Cerritcs Ave.* Anaheim, CA *928C5 
-(714)778-6496- 



424 B YTE • JANUARY 1986 



Inquiry 45 



tm 


=£ 




^— (B 


3 


■■■ 


32 












$!&^ 




















'mm 






;,pTt% i 



IBM PC, 256K, One Half Height 
320K Disk Drive DS/DD, Persyst 
Color Card With Printer Port, Taxan 
Green Monitor, DOS 2.1, PLUS a 
10MB Hard Disk Sub System All For: 

$2499. 



IBM PC, 256K, Two Half Height 
Drives DS/DD, Persyst Color Card 
With Printer Port, Taxan Green Moni- 
tor, DOS 2.1, 130 Watt Power Supply 
PLUS a 10MB Hard Disk Sub System 
All For: 

$2799. 



IBM PC, 256K, Two Half Height 
Drives DS/DD, Persyst Color Card 
With Printer Port, Taxan Green Moni- 
tor, DOS 2.1 , 130 Watt Power Supply, 
10MB Hard Disk Sub System, PLUS 
10MB Tape Back Up System All For: 

$3299. 



IBM PC, 256K, Two Half Height 
Drives DS/DD, Persyst Color Card 
With Printer Port, Taxan Green Moni- 
tor, DOS 2.1, 130 Watt Power Supply, 
20MB Hard Disk Sub System All For: 

$3099. 



IBM PC, 256K, Two Half Height 
Drives DS/DD, Persyst Color Card 
With Printer Port, Taxan Green Moni- 
tor, DOS 2.1,130 Watt Power Supply, 
20MB Hard Disk Sub System, PLUS 
10MB Tape Back Up System All For: 

$3699. 



MONIU F 



AMDEK 300 Green 

AMDEK 300 Amber 

AMDEK 310 Amber WHTL Plug 

PGS HX-12 

PGS MAX-12 

PGSSR-12 



TAXAN #115 Green Composit _ 
TAXAN #116 Amber Composit _ 
TAXAN #121 Green WHTL Plug 
TAXAN #122AmberWnTL Plug 
TAXAN #620 COLOR MONITOR 
TAXAN #640 COLOR MONITOR 
IBM MONOCHROME DISPLAY 
IBM COLOR DISPLAY 



$135.00 
$149.00 
$165.00 
$465.00 
$185.00 
$625.00 
$125.00 
$135.00 
$149.00 
$159.00 
$449.00 
$569.00 
$260.00 
$590.00 






comma 



:!p; 



CALL 

FOR DIFFERENT 

CONFIGURATIONS 

PRINTERS 



NECPINWRITER80COL _ 
NECPINWRITER136COL. 

EPSON LX 80 

EPSON FX 85 

EPSON FX 185 

EPSON RX 100 

EPSON JX 80 

EPSON LQ 1500 

COMREX CR 420 

TOSHIBA 351 



STARMICRONICSSG10_ 
STAR MICRONICS SG 15 _ 
CITIZEN PRINTER MSP-10 
CITIZEN PRINTER MSP-15 _ 
CITIZEN PRINTER MSP-20 . 
CITIZEN PRINTER MSP-25 . 

JUKI LQ 6100 

JUKI LQ 6300 

BROTHER HR-25 

BROTHER HR-35 

DYNAX DX 15XL 

OKIDATA 



SPECIAL 

13" RGB MONITOR 

FORTISFC10 



_ $599.00 
_ $799.00 
_ $239.00 
_ $359.00 
_ $499.00 
_ $399.00 
_ $499.00 
_ $895.00 
.$1895.00 
_ $1199.00 
_ $259.00 
_ $395.00 
_ $325.00 
_ $450.00 
__ $435.00 
_ $599.00 
_ $385.00 
_ $725.00 
_ $499.00 
_ $775.00 
_ $365.00 
CALL 



?9.sa 



./OEMS 



HAYES SMART MODEM 1200 . 
HAYES SMART MODEM 300 _ 
HAYES 1200B PLUG IN CARD . 
HAYES 2400 BAUD MODEM _ 
POP COM 1200 EXTERNAL _ 

AST REACH MODEM 

QIC MODEM INTERNAL 



_$395.00 
. $209.00 
. $365.00 
. $699.00 
_ $375.00 
. $380.00 
_ $275.00 



TANDON TM-100-2 DS/DD _ 
TOSHIBA SLIMLINE DS/DD . 
TEAC SLIMLINE DS/DD 



.$139.00 
. $120.00 
.$120.00 



10MB SUB SYSTEM INTERNAL _ 
EXTERNAL . 

20MB SUB SYSTEM INTERNAL _ 
EXTERNAL. 

40MB SUB SYSTEM INTERNAL _ 
EXTERNAL 



_ $595.00 
_ $795.00 
_ $875.00 

$1050.00 
_$11 50.00 

$1325.00 



UNITS 

y 



10MB HARD DISK 

W/10MB TAPE BACK UP. 
20MB HARD DISK 

W/10MB TAPE BACK UP. 
40MB HARD DISK 

W/10MBTAPEBACKUP. 



. $1250.00 



. $1475.00 




CONQUEST PC TURBO 640K Two 

Half Height Drives, Floppy Disk Con- 
troller 135 Watt Power Supply, Serial 
Port, Parallel Port (IBM Standard) and 
Enhanced Keyboard: 

$1225. 

Above System With 10MB Internal 
Hard Disk: 

$1970. 

With 20MB Internal Hard Disk: 

$2195. 

With 40MB Internal Hard Disk: 

$2515. 

Tape Back Up Systems Are Also 
Available for the Conquest PC Turbo at 
a reasonable price. 



MULTIFUNCTION BC 



AST I/O MINI CARD, 1-SER. 

AST SIX PACK 64K.1-SER., 1-PAR . 
AST PREVIEW 



AST ADVANTAGE CARD 
128KFORAT 



ALR CHALLENGER CARD 
128K FOR AT 



PERSYST COLOR 

PRINTER ADAPTER 

PERSYST MONOCHROME 

PRINTER ADAPTER 

PERSYST BOB CARD 

HERCULES COLOR 

PRINTER ADAPTER 



HERCULES GRAPHIC 

PRINTER ADAPTER 

STB GRAPHIC PLUS II 

IBM COLOR GRAPHIC ADAPTER . 
IBM MONO PRINTER ADAPTER _ 



GENOA SPECTRUM GRAPHIC CARD . 



_ $145.00 
. $249.00 
. $299.00 

. $425.00 

. $395.00 

_ $179.00 

_ $189.00 
. $395.00 

_ $179.00 

_ $299.00 
. $325.00 
_$225.00 
. $230.00 
. $349.00 



MAXELL DISKETTES MD2. 
MAXELL MD2-HDM FOR AT . 



CONTROL DATA DISKETTES 
KEYTRONIC KEYBOARD KB 5151 . 



available. 
CALL FOR PRICES. 



. $35.00/box 
$60.00/box 

$24.00 

. $169.00 




_$1795.00 



(714) 838-7530 

2630 Walnut Avenue. UnitC, Tustin, California 92680 



Prices & availability subject to change without notice— IBM is a registered trademark of IBM Corporation. COMPAQ is a registered trademark of COMPAQ Computer Corporation. Conquest is a 
registered trademark of Conquest Computer Industries. 



Inquiry 245 



JANUARY 1986 'BYTE 425 



BDysan 



Dvsan diskettes are the ultimate in quality flex- 
ible recording media for flexible disk drives. 
They are certified to be 100% error free 
on-track and between tracks. And to help 

we're running a special on their diskette 
product line. 

PI US' If vou call, write, or utilize reader ser- 
vice in response to this ad-we'H send you our 
full-ranw catalog of computer supplies with 
Special Offers good for further savings on 
Dvsan diskettes and many other quality pro- 
ducts. Dysan. The Finest Quality Diskettes 
Available. „ . 

Simply ft I in Service & Reliability 

m mfBCM 10 50 E - Map,e Rd ' 

LY DtIM Tr °V' Ml 48083 

COMPUTER SYSTEMS (313)589-3440 



Inquiry 218 




RS232C IBM PC Compatible 
Paper Tape Transmitter/Model 612 
Stops and starts on character at all speeds, 
uses manual control or X-on, X-off 90-260 
volt, 50-60 Hz power. 50-9600 baud, up to 150 
char/sec synchronous or asynchronous; 
gated internal or external clock, RS 232C 
current loop or paralleloutput, reads 5-8 leve 
tape, 7-11 frames per character, even or ode 
parity. Desk top or rack mount. 
Addmaster Corporation, 415 Junlpero Serra 
Drive, San Gabriel, CA 91776, (818) 285-1121, 
Telex 674770 Addmaster SGAB 



Inquiry 8 



SAVE TIME AND MONEY WITH 
LOW COST PI-SWITCH BOXES. 

I jj.fl Starting at $59.95 [?T_ ] 

&&4> fci 

•Quickly shares your computer among 
multiple terminals, printers, moderns, etc. 
with just a flick of the wrist. 

•Compact black & beige aluminum 
enclosure features a high quality rotary 
switch with rear mounted connectors. 

•Serial RS 232 Models have fern. 25-Pin Conn. 
(Lines 1-7 & 20) 

PI-02-S switches 2 to 1 S59.95 

PI-03-S switches 3 to1 79.95 

PI-06-S switches 5 to 1 109.95 

•Parallel models have fern. 36-Pin cent. conn. 

PI-02Pswitches2to1 94.95 

Pl-0*P switches 4 to 1 154.95 

•Dealers, schools & custom inquiries welcome. 

■One Year Warrantee. COD, VISA, M/C. 

•Shipping UPS$2.00/ea. AIR $4.00/ea. 
CflK /—\ 7301 NW 41 St. 

I /IIMfr MIAM| . FL 33166 
I—/ LWI\ (305)592-6092 



WAVEFORM 

SYNTHESIZER 




• For IBM-PC/XT/AT and 
compatibles 

• Generates user-definable signal 

• Up to 2000 points per envelope 

$795.00 

QUA TECH, INC. 

478 E. Exchange St. Akron OH 44304 
(216) 434-3154 TLX: 5101012726 



® 



Inquiry 296 



MODULAR 
DATA ACQUISITION 




• For IBM & Compatibles 

• Flexible and Inexpensive 

• Money Back Guarantee 

• Free Technical Support 

Fast Delivery 
QUA TECH, INC. 

478 E. Exchange St. Akron OH 44304 
(216)434-3154 TLX: 5101012726 



® 



Inquiry 297 



RS-422 

Communications Board 




• For IBM-PC/AT/XT and 



compatibles 

Dual RS-422 serial interface 
Programmable to 56k baud 
Differential drivers to 4000 ft. 



$345.00 
QUA TECH, INC. 

478 E. Exchange St. Akron OH 44304 
(216) 434-3154 TLX: 5101012726 



O 



64K-128K-256K 
DRAMS 

80287-8 "80287-3 

8087-3 "8087-2 

8087-1 



B I T TN £ R 




6L6CTRONICS 

899 SOUTH COAST HIGHWAY 
LAGUNA BEACH, CA 92651 

(714) 497-6200 

CALL NOW FOR FREE CATALOG 



Inquiry 36 



Check your spelling 
as you type! 



The Resident 
Speller™ 

PC Version 

• Turn on or off checking with the 
touch of a key 

• Add words to alternate list 

• Works with most word 
processors 

• Requires 90K in addition to 
word processor for 49,000 word 
dictionary 

The Resident Speller $99 

Demo Disk $ 2 

S & K Technology, Dept. G 

4610 Spotted Oak Woods 

San Antonio, TX 78249 

512-492-3384 



Inquiry 31 1 




-* 



LU 



-* 



[Dimensions 6"x4"x3'4" J"^" 



BI-DIRECTIONALSERIAL'PARALLEL CONUERTER 

C0NUERT YOUR RS232 SERIAL PORT INTO A 

CENTRONICS PARALLEL PORT, YOUR PARALLEL 

PORT INTO A RS232 SERIAL PORT, JUST BY 

M0UING JUMPERS. 

NO MORE LIMITATIONS IN YOUR SYSTEM. NOW 

YOU CAN CONNECT A TERMINAL TO PARALLEL 

PORT, YOUR PARALLEL PRINTER TO A SERIAL 

PORT, SERIAL PRINTER TO A PARALLEL PORT, 

AND MUCH MORE 22. 

BAUD RATE AND MODE FULLY SELECTABLE. 

23 ALL IN ONLY ONE UNIT 22 

ORDER TODAY AT INTRODUCTORY PRICE AT: 

INTECTRA INC. - Department 232 
2629 TERMINAL BLU 
MOUNTAIN UIEW - CA - 94043 
(4153 96?-88I8 - TLX 345545 

Introductory price $ 79.99 
(California residents add 6* tax - 
Bay area residents add ?x tax] 



Inquiry 315 



Inquiry 298 



Inquiry 170 




$1149 



■ Two 800K Drives ■ 256K RAM 

■ Video RAM Doord ■ Monitor 

■ 1 4 Free Software Pockoges 

■ 1 Year Warranty and More! 

The Silver Fox $1149 

The Color Fox $1298 

The Fox $995 




The 
TurboFox 

$1499 



■ IBM-PC Compatible 

■ 8088-2 CPU ■ 4.77/8MHz 

■ Two DSDD Disk Drives 

■ 256K RAM ■ Monitor 

■ 8 Expansion Slots 

■ WordStor. ColcStar 

■ MS-DOS 2.1 1.GWBASIC 

The TurboFox $1499 

with 20MB Hard Disk $2099 




Zenith 
Z-148 



$1398 



■ Two DSDD Disk Drives 

■ 640K RAM ■ Amber Monitor 

■ MS-DOS. Fiiebose 

■ MyWrite, MyColc, Spell 

ZenithZ-148 $1398 

Two Place Expansion $99 



The New ALTOS 2086-2 

The high performance Xenix based system for 20 
work stations from Altos - a world leader in multi-user 
systems and software. 

The 2086-2 features 2 MB of RAM, an 80MB hard disk, 
a 60MD tape backup and an 80286 CPU. Options 
include: 1 more user stations, up to 8MB of RAM, up to 
1 89MB of hard disk storage and an 80287 co-processor. 

ALTOS 2086-2 814599 

The power of o mini or o fraction of rhe cosr 

ALSO 

Altos 9B6-40 S861 9 Altos 586-40 $6989 



THE ATARI 520ST 

■ Precision Grophics-640x400 resolurion. 

■ 5 1 2 Colors with oprions RGB moniror. 

■ Parallel and Serial Inrerface Srandard. 

■ Double Density Disk Drive Srandard. 

■ Two Burton Mouse Srandard. 

■ Oprionol 1 MB Hard Drive. CCOO 

■ 68000 CPU Archirecture. 

■ 5 1 2K RAM Srandard. ^ monochrome monitor 

■ 6MHz Clod< Speed. $899 

■ MIDI Inrerface. with RGB monitor 

PLUS... 

Word processing, spreadsheet, database and inregrored software is 
availobe now! Call for pacing and inquire obour rhe norionol 520ST 
Users Group. 



OLYIUPIA 




THE OLYMPI A NP 

If you're considering the purchase 
of on Okidoro 1 92 or on Epson FX-85 
give us a call before you spend S50 
to $ 1 00 more for on inferior prinrer. 
We'll send you on aciual prinrsomple 
derailing rhe NP's amazing 17x17 
dor matrix and such features as ir's 
builr-in push rractor, 1 65 CPS speed, 
low noise level and FX-80 compar- 
ability rhar make rhe Olympia NP 
rhe besr value in dor matrix printers 
for only $285 



THE OLYMPIA RO 

A letter quality doiseywheel prinrer 
rhe Olympia RO offers a 14" car- 
riage, 14 CPS prinr speed, Diablo 
630 emularion, parallel and serial 
parrs. All ihis and o builr-in rracror a r 
only $329 

MORE 

PRINTERS 

SrarSG-10 $239 

Diablo D-25 $549 

All Okidoro Call 

All Epson Call 



Season's Greetings 
From 



\ / 






/ \ 



Scoffsdale Systems 

617 N.Scorrsdale Rood. Suite B, Scorrsdole, Arizona 85257 

"■" (602) 941-5856 



Call 7-5 Mon.-FrL 



|\r We participate in arbifrorion for business and customers through The Better 
^ f o. ^* Business Bureau of Maricopa County. 

SINCE 1980 



I TELEMARKETING ONLY: If you plan to stop by please phone oheod. Prices listed ore far cosh. P.O's from 
| Fortune 1200 companies ond universities with good a edit odd 2% / Mostercord and Visoodd 0% /Arizona 
residents odd 6% sales rax / Shipping extra / AJI items are new whh monufocrurer's wortanty / Returned 
merchandise subject to 20% restocking fee / Personal or company checks rake up to 3 weeks to cleor / No 
COD's or APO's. Prices ond specifications subject to change / Product subject to ovoilability. Trademarks: AJros, 
Altos Computer Systems; Silver Fox, MvWrite and MyColc, Software Toolworks; Apple II r« ond Macintosh w, 
Apple Computer Inc." Atari im by Atori Corp. HAGEN— DOS, ond Jocklntosh, Scarrsdale Systems. Ltd.; Wordstar 
and CalcSror, Miaopro International; /V&-DOS, ond Multiplan. Microsoft Corporation; FLEBA5E. EWDP Software. 
Inc.; dBASE II, Ashfon-Tate: IBM-PC DOS, and IBM-PC. International Business Machines. 



WE NOW DO SPECIALIZED SERVICE 

If you own o Sonya 555-2, Silver Fox or any other computer that is our of warranty please 
contact our Service Deportment. We'll be happy to quote a price for cleaning and 
adjustment of drives, motherboard repair or general service questions. Well work with you 
to keep your system olive. 



TERMINALS 

Wyse50 $449 

QumeQVT101 $298 

QumeQVriOIA $325 



COLOR MONITOR 
SALE 

NEC JC 1460 RGB $298 

Taxon420RGB $409 




THE BERNOULLI BOX 

The Half -Heights Are Here! 

■ Hard disk copociiy ond performance 

■ Removable cartridge economy 

■ Cartridge convenience 

■ Winchester copocity 

■ Unparalleled reliability 

10Mb $1859 

20 Mb $2499 



ljOCDQOSGCDDi] 
instrument 

PLOTTERS 

DMP-29 $1795 

DMP-41/42 $2365 

DMP-51/52 $3579 

PC-695 $629 

PC-595 $549 

DIGITIZERS 

DT-1 1 $669 

DT-11A $669 



REACH OUT 

AND TEACH 

SOMEONE 

THE AMSTRAD128K 

■ z-soa cpu 

■ Keyboard 

■ Monitor (RGB opt.) 

■ 3" Disk Drive 

■ Cassette Interface 

■ Joystick Port 

■ Parallel Port 

■ CP/M, LOGO, AM-DOS 

■ Word Processor 

■ Spreadsheet 

■ Gomes, Graphics 

Introduce Your Family To 
Computing For Only 

$439 

with green monitor 



Inquiry 3 19 



JANUARY 1986 • BYTE 427 



Erases Most Eproms 
in 3 Minutes 




Solid State 2-8 Min. 

Timer Version $54.95 



For all 24 or 28 pin devices— 2 at a time. 

90 DAY WARRANTEE SHIPPING & HANDLING 
DEALERS WELCOME 



$2 50 
AZ RESIDENTS 



WdLLIMG CO. 



ADD 6% TAX 



440 1 S. JUNIPER • TEMPE. AZ 85282 • (602) 838-1277 



fllTmARYfTlAC INDUSTRIES INC 

800-231-3680 

Radio Shack® Tandy® 
Epson Printers 

People you Trust to give you the very best! 



' Lowest 
Discount 
Prices 

► Reliable 
Service 

• Quality 
Products 





"World's largest independent authorized computer dealer." 

22511 Katy Fwy., Katy (Houston) Texas 77450 
(713) 392-0747 Telex 774132 



double ft* 

THE OPTION CAPACITY 

OF YOUR IBM PERSONAL COMPUTER 

PC-XTRA 

• DIRECT EXTENSION OF 
IBM PC BUS 

• NO SOFTWARE CHANGES 

• NO HARDWARE MODIFICATION " 

• STYLING CONSISTENT WITH ISM 
Add aft !ftos« special options that you've been 
wanting without worrying about tilling your 
ptug-ln and back panel space 




0**y F.O.B. SANTA ANA — 

-CALfFOHNIA RESIDENTS ADD 6% SALES TAX 

P C HORIZONS, INC. 

1701 E. Edinger, Ste. A6, Santa Ana, CA 92705 
(714) 953-5396 



Inquiry 376 



Inquiry 226 



Inquiry 271 





Osborne 






A s available only! Very limited quantity. 






Important: 

Always call to 
check availa- 
bility before 
ordering. 


To fix yourself, 
or for parts. 
Complete, but 
known not 
working. 


Guaranie 
days. Ma 
or refurb 
ding on 
Exch/ 
Repair 


ed for 30 
/ be new 
, depen- 
avail. 
Outright 




Main Board OS-1 


$79 


S79 


S139 


Main Board Exec. 


S159 


S139 


S299 


Battery Pack, 40 Watt 





— 


$49 




iDouble Density Kit "* 
|** Includes board, cable 


, docume 


ntation & 


S79 I 

disk 






5" CRT iGrn/White) 


S9.95 


S19 


$29 




7" CRT (Amber) 


S19 


S49 


$99 


15" CRT, no case 








$85 


Drive Analog Card 


S9.95 


S29 


S59 


Drive Mechanism 


S19 


S25 


$59 


Power Supply 


S4.95 


S24 


$29 


Keyboard (No enclos.) 


S9.95 


— 


S99 












Shipping charged on all orders 






Computer Parts Mart 415-493-5930 
$200 Park Blvd * Palo Alto * CA 9430 






Sure 
tils insured? 

SAFEWARE® Insurance provides full 
replacement of hardware, media and 

purchiised software. As little as $39/yr. covers: 
• Fire • Theft • Power Surges 

• Earthquake • Water Damage • Auto Accident 

For information or immediate coverage call: 

1-800-848-3469 

In Ohio c all 1-614-262 -0559 

v. otfifc«HKL,y 

SAFEWARE. The Insurance Agency Inc. 



• Multi-user Database! 

• Powerful! 

• Multiple Operating 
System Compatibility! 

• Attractive Dealer 
Pricing! 

• Full Dealer Support! 

Dataflex ,- a trademark of Data Access 

Dealer Inquiries Invited 



24000 Telegraph Road 

Southfield, Michigan 48034 USA 

1313) 352-2345 



Inquiry 79 



Inquiry 316 



Inquiry 62 



DATA ACQUISITION TO GO 

INTERFACE FOR ANY COMPUTER 




Connects via RS-232. Built-in BASIC. 
Stand alone capability. Expandable. 
Battery Option. Basic system: 16 ch. 
12 bit A/D, 2 ch. D/A, 32 bit Digital I/O. 
Expansion boards available. Direct 
Bus units for many computers. 

SPECIALISTS IN PORTABLE APPLICATIONS 

(201) 299-1615 

P.O. Box 246, Morris Plains, NJ 07950 



ELEXOR 



L <!$X The Linker 
"for Turbo Pascal 1 " 

Why recompile tested procedures over find 
| over while debugging your Turho Pascal pro- 
I grams, when TP*Linker'" can instantly link I 
them in — already compiled. TP*Linker turns 
your compiled Turbo Pascal procedures into 
compact, linkable external procedures. 
Linkable procedures use Vi the memory as 
their Turbo Pascal source c;ode. So you can 
bring them in off disk faster and store more 
| of them on RAM disk. TP*Linker is easy to | 

. self-documenting, and works from the 
I Turbo Pascal Program Development Envi- 
ronment. An extra bonus — now you can sell I 
procedures written in Turbo Pascal as link- 
I able procedures without having In disclose 
your source code. Why waste time re- 
compiling code that you know works? 
TP* Linker — the ideal upgrade for anyone 
using Turbo Pascal. 

Not copv protected 

TP* Linker for Turbo 2.0, 3.0 $69 

+ BCD. 8087 $99 

Add $5 S + ll + $10 for Overseas. MC/'VLSA | 

A-OK Systems 

Hlfi KiisleV Si.. Silver Spring. Ml) 2(1*110 
301-585-5105 (6) 
i Pascal is a trademark of Borland lull. 



6800 Family 
SoffiMfflr© 




Inquiry 120 



Inquiry 3 



Inquiry 385 



The ^5^^1200 bps & 2400 bps Modems 



Fully Hayes Compatible 
2 Year Warranty 

Supports all 20 Hayes Commands 
and all 6 responses 

• Tone& Pulse dialing • Built-in speaker 

• Auto dial/auto answer • 8 status lights 

• Auto speed selection • Self-test 




1200 bps Standalone 

Bell 103 and Bell 212A 
Compatible 

$199 



2400 bps Standalone 

CCITT V22, V22BIS, Bell 212A, 
and Bell 103 Compatible 



$399 



1200 bps IDM PC 

Compatible Card w/MITE 
Communications Software 

$199 



BAPRIZIP12 ,4 ibs.) Retail $299.00 BAPBIZIP24 (5 i bs) Retail $599.00 BAPRIZIP12B l Retail $299.00 



PC LINE CONDITIONER 



„/ 



> Constant Voltage 
Output with up to 15% 
DIPs in Line Voltage 

1 Spike & surge 
suppression 

• Noise suppression 

1 Prolongs computer life 



150 WATT 000 WATT 

$59 $99 



BASHP150 
(Sh. wt. 20 Ibs.) 



BASHP300 

(Sh. wt. 30 Ibs.) 



ffi 



DATAGARD 



SURGE & NOISE 
SUPPRESSOR 



.*<*« 



• 600V spike max. 
• 6500A spike current max. 
• 6' line cord • 1 5A circuit breaker 

$27 .SO 50-99 
$25 100 or more 

BAWBRDG115S(Sh wt 2 lbs. each) 



95 

r ea. 



HERCULES 
Graphics Cords 




Monochrome Color 

$339 $179 



BAHECGC 



BAHECCOLOR 



QUADRAM 
Quodchrome II 




• Large 14" high-res. RGB display 
• 640x240 res. • PC cable included 

BAQDRQC2 

Retail: $599.00 

{Shipping weight 30 Ibs.) 




maxell 



0V 2 " Diskettes 
Single Sided Double Sided 

$31 $46 

BAMXLMFt BAMXLMF2 



IRVINE 

18241 Mc Durmott, 
Irvine, CA 92714 
(714)660-141 1 




EPSON LX90 

Dot Matrix Printer 
with NLQ with FREE 
Tractor and Interface 

with IBM-PC Standard Parallel 
Interlace (Inc. Apple He) 

BAEPNLX901 BAEPNLX902 

YOUR 
CHOICE: 

(Shipping weight 18 Ibs.) 



TST PRIORITY roNEl ELECTRONICS 

mm inquiry 289 Mal | Yo ur Order To: 



BS1 



21622 Plummer St., Chatsworth, CA 9131 1-9970 
RETAIL (816)709-5464 INDUSTRIAL: (616)709-5111 



SAN JOSE 

452 W. Trimble Rd., 

San Jose, CA 95131 

(406)946-7010 



MINIMUM PREPAID ORDER $25.00. Terms U.S. VISA, MC, BAC. Check, Money Order, 
U.S. Funds ONLY. CA residents add 6%, 6V2%, or 7% Sales Tax, depending on your local 
rates. Include MINIMUM SHIPPING & HANDLING of $3.00 for the first 3 lbs., plus 50C for 
each additional pound (25C if within Calif.) Plus 25C per $100.00 value of your order for 



insurance. Orders over 70 Ibs. sent freight collect. Just in case, include your phone 
number. Prices subject to change without notice. We will do our best to maintain prices 
through January 1986. Credit card orders will be charged appropriate freight. We are 
not responsible for typographical errors. 



PRIORITY ONE ELECTRONICS and PRIORITY 1 ELECTRONICS are registered service marks of the Heath Group, Ltd. Zipper 2 1 2A, Zipper 2400, Zipper 1 200B and Zipper Modem are 
trademarks of the Heath Group, Ltd. 



|^ ORDER TOLL FREE (800)423-5922 (NOW IN CALIF. TOO!!) 



MMW 



NO SHIPPING CHARGES 

ORDER TOLL-FREE 800-824-3432 

CHRISTMAS SPECIALS 

DRIVES 

TANDON 100-2 89.99 

TANDON 100-4 (96 T.P.I.) 129.99 

EPSON HD860 20 MEG. vs HT. HARD DISK 
WITH CONTROLLER & CABLES 599.99 

SYSTEMS 
BLUEXTRA 

• PC/XT Compatible • 8 Slot Motherboard 

• 1-V 2 HT. 360K Floppy • 256K RAM 

• 135W Power Supply • RunslBMDos2.1or3.1 
FULL WARRANTY 699.99 

MONITORS 
Princeton Graphics MAX-12-HI-RES Amber 
with HI-RES Controller Card 299.99 

Princeton Graphics HX-12 RGB with 
Color Graphics Card 549.99 

ADD ON CARDS 
Multifunction Card w/384K RAM 
Included. Serial/Parallel Port, 
Clock/Calendar, Game Port 159.99 



NICORN ELECTRONICS 

" 100l0CanogaAve UnitB-8 Chalsworlh.CA 91311 

er S1000 — NosfiiopiigcrtaigesanpfepaKJortHfs — C OD add $3 00 — 

UPS Bfue add S3 00 — CaM residenls add 6' ,'. sates la» Personal checks he« (or 
clearance VlSA-MC 



Inquiry 366 



maxell 

BULK DISKETTES 

SS/DD $.70 

SS/DD $1.70 
DS/DD 2.25 

Prices based on quantities of 500 
Orders shipped within 24 hours 

C.O.D. 

800 222-049C 
201- 462-7628 in N.J. 



P.O. Box 1143 • Freehold, N.J. 07728 



Inquiry 230 



BBSS IBMPC/VT220 

EM220 . V1720.VTI02 emulation 

$ 149 * ^^ e Transfer 

• 132 Column modes 

• Color Support 

• Hot Key 

BBSS TEK 4010/4014 

EM4010 . Tektronix 4010 emulation 
$249 * ^7*220, VT102 emulation 

• Picture files 

• High resolution hardcopy 

• Supports IBM, IBM Enhanced, 
Hercules, Tecmarand AT&T. 



Diversified Computer 
Systems, Inc. 

3775 Iris Ave. , Suite IB 
Boulder, CO 80301 
(303) 447-925 J 



Tiudemarks: VTK0 -Digital Equipment ; IBM PC, XT- IBM Corf). 




Inquiry 111 



Robot 
Experimenter 7 



Looking for information on educational 
and experimental robots? Need a source 
for robot equipment? Like to know the 
latest news in this rapidly changing field? 

Robot Experimenter is the publication 
for experimental robots. Each issue is 
loaded with reviews, design ideas, soft- 
ware projects, and the latest industry 
news. 

Write today for a FREE sample issue. 
Don't let the future happen without you. 

Robot Experimenter 

published by Ceargs 

PO Box 458 

Peterborough. NH 03458 

603/924-3843 



WE CAN MAKE 

INCOMPATIBLE DATA 

COMPATIBLE! 

We can transfer datafiles between different 
operating systems; convert media (disks 
and tapes); decode and translate documents 
between major dedicated word processors 
and/or major PC software; re-arrange data- 
base files; transfer texts and re-formulate 
spreadsheet data. 

Write or call to discuss your needs, then send 
a disk or tape sample of your datafile for a com- 
plimentary translation. 

CompuData 
Translators, Inc. 

6565 Sunset Blvd., Suite 301 
Hollywood, CA 90028 

(213) 462-6222 

ADAPSO Member 



FINALLY! 

Aztec C65 tm joins ProDOS tm 

with VIX. Develop C programs in ProDOS. 
Run existing binary programs in ProDOS such as 
c65, cci, In. mklib and others. System includes: 

• Standard library written in 6502 assembly. 

• Advanced screen editor with undelete, auto- 
indent, word wrap, macros, and more 

• Source code to entire system except editor. 

$50 + $3.50 shipping 
Multitasking 128K version - CALL 

Create advanced database applications with Tlist. 
Designed specifically for ProDOS, Tlist uses file 
caching and balanced binary tree indexes to 
advance beyond the limitations of ordinary data- 
base managers Tlist is provided as a library of 
functions featuring: 

• Compact variable length record format. 

• Multiple fields per index key. 

• Functionto restructure database files without 
loss of data. 

Tlist in Aztec C65 object format - S75. + $3.50 
Tlist with source and VIX - $350. 

Eclipse^ Systems 

T. O . Box 237, Merion, Pa. 19066 (215) 664-2419 



Inquiry 309 



Inquiry 68 



Inquiry 117 



DeSmet C 

Development Package 

Still $109 

"... a stunning amount of 
bang for the buck" 

Houston, Brodrick and Kent 
BYTE Magazine, August 1983 

Call to order by VISA, MC, or AMEX 

(408) 720-9696 

or write to us: 

C Ware Corporation 

505 W.Olive, Suite 767 
Sunnyvale, CA 94087 

We Sell Direct to You 



IC 



PROMPT DELIVERY!!! | 

S SAME DAY SHIPPING (USUALLY) 

V20 CPUjUPD70108D-8 $16.00 

8087-2 Math Coprocessors 1 40 . 00 
DYNAMIC RAM 

64Kx4 150 ns $" 

1 20 ns ; 

150 ns J 

1 20 ns I 

150 ns S 
150 ns 



ROSS 



256K 
256K 
256K 

128K 

64K 

64K 



256Kx1 
256Kx1 
128Kx1 

16Kx4 

64Kx1 

EPROM 

27C256 32Kx8 250 ns 
27256 32Kx8 250 ns 
27C64 8Kx8 200 ns 
2764 8Kx8 250 ns 

STATIC RAM 
6264LP-158Kx8 150 ns 



OPEN 7 DAYS: WE CAN SHI 



$7.50 
4.75 
3.75 
2.50 

$2.99 



MasterCard 'VISA or UPS CASH COD n 

Factory New, Prime Parts ojkoo 

MICROPROCESSORS UNLIMITED, INC. 

BBtttSSr A"*) 267-4961 

Prices shown above are for Nov. 25, 1985 

Pteaso cad tot current prtces Prices suojocl !o diange Please expocf higher or lower prices on 
some parts due to supply & demand and our changing costs Shfjpmg & msmance oxtia. CM 
•- ■ " °M CST can usualty be AAver od to you by M nert 
lu S6 00, or Priority Or* ;.i S13.0O! 



cr.m m f< 

F-EXSAT 
DELIVERY 
ON ORDERS 

' '■ 

Th StdAr 
F( POne 



MAYBE THE ONLY DEVELOPMENT 
SOFTWARE YOU'LL EVER NEED 



• Table based 8 bit cross-assembler 

• Tables/Source files included for: 

1802 6502 8048 COP400 
3870 6801 8051 Z8 
8096 6805 8085 Z80 

• Modify/Create tables for most 8 bit micros 
Create your own instruction sets 

• INTEL, MOTOROLA. TEKTRONIX output formats 

• Use with any EPROM programmer 

• 36 page manual, full instructions 

• Available in the following disk formats: 

5" IBM PC PC/MS-DOS 2.0 or greater, compatibles 
5" APPLE ll+/lle CP/M-80 (Softcard), compatibles 
8" SSSD CP/M-80 (Z80 only) 



$99 9 



*129 9 



Credit card orders: Include card no , name on card, expiry date, 
signature. Nova Scotia residents add 10% sales tax. 



UNIVERSAL CROSS ASSEMBLERS 



Inquiry 47 



Inquiry 244 



Inquiry 368 



mm 



/"7ree digital watch 

f With the purchase of any floppy* 

I disk drive in this issue, we'll 

s include a 7 melody alarm. 

\ Quartz chronograph, digital 

\ watch... absolutely FREE 

^v (limit one per customer)! 




MODEMS 

SMARTEAM»103/212A 

Fully HAYES compatible 

300/1200 baud 

external modem . . . *184 

• HAYES 1200B $ 357 

• NOVATION Smartcat 

1200 internal $ 333 



I llllllllllUUIHIHIHI 



ACCESSORIES 

KEYBOARDS 

FULLY IBMandKEYTRONICS COMPATIBLE 

• 5150 style $ 78 00 

- 5151 style *98 00 

PC POWER SUPPLIES 

150 WATT . . . $ 99 00 

130 WATT *77 00 

• MULTITECH multifunction board 

(ASTsixpack+comp.) . . . *119 45 

• ASTsixpack+ *223 00 

• AST Advantage 128K *384°° 

• MULTITECH color board *98 87 

• HERCULES color board . . *144 00 

• HERCULES graphics board J 287 00 

• MULTITECH 

384K mem exp. brd. (empty^ *56 00 



lll.. U 



HARD DRIVES 

COMPLETE INTERNAL SYSTEMS 

Includes drive, controller card, cables and install 
procedures, Capacities listed are unformatted. We sell 
only the finest drives from Seagate. Mitsubishi, Tokico/ 
Hitachi and others guaranteed to meet or exceed original 
manufacturer's specifications. 



( YOUR CHOICE nes 



We bought the remaining inventory of 
two popular printer models from Legend. 
When they're gone, they're gone!! 

• MODEL 880 Only 500 available! 

80 column, "Square Dot" matrix, 
100CPS, Centronics Parallel, friction/ 
tractor feed. 

• MODEL 1000 Only 200 available! 

80 column, "Copal" mechanism, 
dot matrix, 100CPS, Cent, parallel, 
friction/tractor feed. 

• EPSON LX80 *248 

• OKIDATA92P $392 



llllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll 



DISKETTES 



• 2 drive PC floppy controller *45 85 

• 4 drive PC floppy controller $ 58 50 

• Name Brand 1MB 3W $i24 50 

• APPLE II Compatible, inc. cable . . . $ 97 75 

llllllllllll " "--■——=- 



1 1 1 1 1 II I 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 II I I I I TTTTTTT 



COMPONENTS 

256K DRAMS 

Quality Japanese mfg. from companies like 
HITACHI. TOSHIBA and FUJITSU. 

Set of 9 150ns $ 26 50 

• 64K DRAMSSetof9 150ns. . $ 7 49 

• 8087-3 *99 00 

• 8087-2 *129 60 

• 80287 *178 00 

•27128 $ 2*° 

• 27256 $ 4 50 

• 2764 *1 98 

• 4128 *2 97 



13MB *389 00 

25MB *489 00 

38MB SEAGATE VOICE COIL . *899 00 
51MB SEAGATE VOICE COIL *1098 00 



FUJI 

•SS/DD 

• DS/DD 48TPI . 

• DS/DD96TPI . 



. BOX 10 $ 13 90 
.BOX10 $ 18 25 
. BOX 10 $ 27 15 



NASHUA BULK DS/DD 

Sold in increments of 50 only, shipped in poly bags, 
50 I 100-450 I 500-950 I 1000-4950 I 5000 + 



.88 



.86 



.84 



.82 



.80 



NAME BRAND DS/DD 

Grey Jacket, with reinforced hub. From a 
well known nationally advertised maker. 
Sold in increments of 100 only, shipped in poly bags. 
100-400 I 500-900 I 1K-4.9K I 5K-9.9K I 10K + 



.65 



.60 



.56 



.53 



.50 




MONITORS 

TATUNG 

• 14" HI RESR.G.B $44450 

• 12" GREEN *115 30 

• 12" AMBER *119 75 

• AMDEK Color 300 *226 00 

• TAXAN 121 Green *136 00 

• TAXAN 122 Amber *146 00 




:*m 



WORLDWIDE ACCESS 



IF YOU DON'T SEE IT, CALLI 

We have virtually any product available at 
the best pricing. Space limits us to only a 



Everybody hates us but our customers. ||Mfi^[ ifl anSTeh^nC^ 



us for a quote 
we don't have it, 



6311-L DeSoto, WOODLAND HILLS, CA 91367 

HOURS: 8:30 AM-5:30PM PACIFIC TIME. MONDAY-FRIDAY 




Vfeature 



BIG disks 



for Ul Utiles 

User-Transparent 

Security Features Included. 

Golden Bow Systems 



S80 - S120 

Add S3 lot snipping/ 
handling 

California residents 
add 6%sa!estax. 



*%-C 619/2E 

p ^V PO Bo*3< 

I A L San Die °°' 



619/298-9349 

.3039 

CA 92103 




System 501: $1975 

DATA ACQUISITION & CONTROL 

Call or write for FREE brochure 



KEITH LEY 



Keithley Data Acquisition 
and Control, Inc. 

28775 Aurora Road 

Cleveland, Ohio 44139 

(216) 248-0400 Telex: 98-5469 



BULK DISKETTES 

BY- 



NASHUA 



$175 



each 
gt> loo 



5Vj' DS/DD with hub ring and Tyvek sleeve, bulk 

packaged, no labels, factory warranted Shipping 

extra For quantity 50. add 10c each 

Get the same low price our high-volume 

duplication customers get! 

CALL TOLL FREE 

1-800-321-4668 

in Colora 
MASTERCA 

ALF 



n Colorado, 303-234-0871 
MSA. MASTERCARD, OR COD ACCEPTED 



1315-F Nelson St 
Denver. CO 80215 



Inquiry 146 



Inquiry 191 




8051/52 DEVELOPMENT BOARD 

8051 -Based Single-Board Computer with 
Monitor/Debugger p 4 28-pin byte-wide 
sockets; monitor will 
program EEPROMS. 
■Perfect for System 
Development and 
Educational Applications 



a 



5255 

Binary Technology, Inc. 



. MERIDEN. NH 03770 



CI 


RCl 


1 T DESIGN TOOLS 


<►- 








_y 


"\ 






- FOR PC'S 






y, 


A 


Si 


\ 












A 


4- 












<fe 






" 


^ 


x 






=! MS.SPICE $95 


<F= 


/ 


P 




' 


\ 






















SknFT ^rnPF^iys 










■ _J 


/ 
















it 




























Perform AC, DC and Transient 
analysis with IS_SPICE. View 
manipulate and plot data with 
Soft_Scope. Requires 640K 
RAM, coprocessor, fixed disk 
and color graphics adapter. 

Write or call intusoft 

PO BOX 6607 (213)833-0710 

San Pedro, CA 90734-6607 



disk park 




■ 7 parKing lots for your disks 
while working 

■ easy to save, easy ro gel 
very useful 

■ protect disks from damaged 
■no more mess on desk 

■ money back guaranteed 

Only S3. 75+ St. 00 shipping 
N.Y. residents add 8% sales tax 

sent check to: 

COMET TECHNOLOGICAL CO. 

68-44 Burns St. Apt. C3 
Forest Hills. N.Y. 1J375 
(718)793-1065 



Inquiry 35 



Inquiry 1 74 



Inquiry 64 



MEASURETHE REAL WORLD WITH OUR SAV 10 MULTICHANNEL 



SERIAL ASCII VOLTMETER 



STAND-ALONE opetaUon no conirol messages from a Host 
SELECTABLE DATA RATE. RS232 OUTPUT MESSAGES 
4 ANALOG VOLTAGE INPUTS ol O . 2 55V measured simull 

SIMPLE INSTALLATION direcilv connects lo a aata Oispiay I 
LOW POWER CONSUMPTION. 
RUGGED. COMPACT PACKAGE. 
NUMEROUS APPLICATIONS: 



$169.95 



UGHT 


+ 5v 






X (^ 




vo 

VI 


TXD 

GND 


TtMPtRATUrM 


V™J * . 


POSITION : 




v?| 

GND 


wt 


VOLTAGE 













Atypicol SAVI0 
opplicolion 




MARON PRODUCTION INC. 

DISCOVERY PARK. 105 - 3700 GILMORE WAY 
BURNABY. B.C., CANADA V5G 4M1 / (604} 435-6211 




'* 



• With Hub Rings 

• With Write Protect Tabs 

• With Static-Free, 
Dust-Free Envelopes 

• With User ID Labels 

• In Factory Sealed 

Poly Packs 




100% ERROR FREE - LIFETIME WARRANTY 

MEET OR EXCEED APPLICABLE ANSI. ECMA. ISO 

STANDARDS 

Minimum quantity 50 diskettes Discount for300or 
more diskettes Shipping and Handling: S4 00 per 
100diskettes Reduced shipping charge for larger quan- 
tities C O.D add $4 00 Cash or certified check Ml 
residents add 4°/osales tax Prices subject tochange 
without notice 

COD. —•— ■ 



Precision Dataproducts 

PO. Box 8367, Grand Rapids, Ml 49508 
(616) 452-3457 • Michigan 1-800-632-2468 

Outside Michigan 1-80O-258-0O28 





Inquiry 225 



Inquiry 285 



Inquiry 166 






COMPUTERBANC 






HARD DRIVE KITS 

20 MB Internal w/Controller $495 | 
30 MB Internal for AT $799 

10 MB Internal w/Controller $425 | 
'External Models Add $150 



TAPE DRIVES 

20 MB I 45 MB I 60 MB 
$699 I $999 I $1,099 

"File by File 
"Mirror Image "Software Included 



&* 



&e 



IBM PC AT 20 MB 

(Seagate Model 225) 
512 K, Serial Parallel 

$4,299 



Volksmodem 1200 
Prometheus 1200 



AT COMPATIBLES 

Speny IT 44 MB 

COMPAQ 286 30 MB 




IBM PC XT 

10 MB, 256K 
CALL 



CALL 
256K, 2 Drive 
IBM PC 



IBM PC COMPATIBLES 

ITr XTRA 2 Drive, 256K $1,495 
Leading Edge PC CALL | 

1 6 Bit PC Clone System $899 



* All systems include monochrome monitor, DOS, and parallel part 



IBM SOFTWARE 

LOTUS 123 CALL 

Symphony CALL 

ENABLE 389.00 

GEM COLLECTION 129.00 

ASHTON TATE Framework 379.00 

dBASEII 289.00 

dBASE III 389.00 

CLIPPER dBASE III Compiler 379.00 

MULTIMATE 239.00 

SOflCIM Supercalc III 210.00 

Super Project 210.00 

MICROSOFT Multiplan 125.00 

Word 229.00 

Project 159.00 

F0X& 6ELLER Quickcode 139.00 

NORTON UTILITIES 52.00 

TURBO PASCAL ver 3.0 49.00 

SUPERKEY 37.00 

SIDEKICK (unprotected) 46.00 

ASCII PRO Cinn Siltwin 69.00 

CROSSTALK XVI 105.00 

PEACHTREE Back To Basics 101.00 

IN-HOUSE ACCOUNTANT 89.00 

WORD PERFECT 249.00 

MICROPRO WordStar Pro 259.00 

WordStar2000 316.00 

SAMNA Plus 345.00 

WORD III 279.00 

RBASE5000 389.00 

PRINTMASTER 35.00 

ENER6RAPHICS 169.00 

BPI General Accounting 316.00 

IBM HARDWARE 

AST 6 Pack Plusw/384K 249.00 

Advantage w/1 2 8K 399.00 

HERCULES Mono Graphic 319.00 

Color Card 1 59.00 

HERCULES like Color Card 129.00 

Monochrome Graphics Card . . . 149.00 

ORCHID Turbo W/256K 669.00 

QUAORAM Quadboard O-K 198.00 



Quad Port for AT ser & par 11 5.00 

TECHMAR Graphics Master. . . . 469.00 
STB Rio plus 64 K 5 Functions. . . 189.00 
Rio Grande 3 function for AT. . . 289.00 

Graphix II 210.00 

High Res 400 369.00 

Chaffeur renographies NEW. . . 234.00 
PARA0ISE ModularGraphicsCard. . CALL 

SIGMA High Res Color 400 CALL 

IBM COMPATIBLES 

Color card 129.00 

Multifunction Card 384 K s, aclck. 1 69.00 
Multifunction Card 0k-1.2mb. 179.00 
Compatible Mono Card w/par. . . 129.00 
5151 Compatible Keyboard. . . . 119.00 
TTL Monitor Amb or Gm IBM. . . 100.00 

Exoansion Chasis CALL 

TALL6RASS w/Tape CALL 

IRWIN TAPE DRIVE 499.00 

EVEHEX TAPE Pc/Xt/AT CALL 

Graphics Edge Card CALL 

Edge Card CALL 

H00IME20MB Drive CALL 

TEAC55BV 95.00 

1.2MB FLOPPY fir AT 189.00 

360 K FLOPPY fir AT ...115.00 

MOUSE SYSTEMS Mouse 135.00 

FIELDMOUSE 113.00 

MICROSOFT Mouse (bus) w/sftwr. 1 1 7.00 
Mouse (serial) w/PC Paintbrush. 125.00 

KOALA kAT 149.00 

0ISKETTES2SDD 15.00 

MODEMS 

ANCHOR Express 300/1 200 . . . 229.00 

Volksmodem 1 2 (5 wrnty) 169.95 

Liahtning2400 Baud CALL 

HAYES 1200 379.00 

1200 B 349.00 

2400 CALL 

Micromodem//e CALL 

Transet 1000 CALL 

PROMETHEUS 1200 269.00 



Promodem1200B 219.00 

Promodem1200A 259.00 

Promodem Mac Pac Kit 299.00 

Promodem300 Ilex 139.00 

MONITORS 

AMDEK300A 139.00 

310A Hi-Res Ambr 155.00 

Color 600 Hh Res RGB 433.00 

Color 710 474.00 

PRINCETON 6RAPHICS HX-12 . . . 469.00 

HX-9 449.00 

SR-12 625.00 

MAX-12 179.00 

TAXAN 121/122 149.00 

620 (RGB) 640x200 NEW CALL 

640 (RGB) 720x400 NEW CALL 

PANASONIC DT-S101 Color.... 179.00 
DT-H10310" High Res RGB... 369.00 
IBM COMPATIBLE Monocrome. . . 99.00 
Color RGB Monitor (640x200). . . 349.00 

PRINTERS 

BROTHER 1509 00T MATRIX ... 369.00 

HR-15XL 345.00 

HR-25XL 469.00 

HR-35XL 699.00 

Twinwriter 822.00 

EPSON LX-80 225.00 

FX-85 345.00 

FX-185 485.00 

0KI0ATA ML-192 373.00 

ML-193 522.00 

PANASONIC KX-P1 091 229.00 

KX-P1092 299.00 

KX-P3131/17cpsDaisey 269.00 

KX-P3151/22cpsDaiseyWheel. 379.00 

TOSHIBA P351 w/tractor 1279.00 

STAR MIR0NICS SG-10 219.00 

SG-15 399.00 

CITIZEN MSP-10 266.00 

MSP-15 335.00 



MSP-25 489.00 

CANNON Laser Printer. CALL 

HOUSTON INSTRUMENTS Plotters. CALL 

Digitizers CALL 

HEWLETT PACKARD PRINTERS. . . . CALL 

APPLE PRODUCTS 

APPLIE0 ENGINEERING 

Ramworks64K 149.00 

AST Multi I/O CALL 

MICRO SCI A2 Drive He 169.00 

He Compatible Drive 139.00 

APPLE Compatible Drive 129.00 

HABA Mac Drive CALL 

MAC Compatibles 1/2 drive. . . 249.00 

BERNOULLI 5MB MAC Drive CALL 

MACINTOSH Harddrive CALL 

MICROSOFT Macenhancer CALL 

Softcard II 259.00 

Multi-plan //e& Mac...- 129.00 

Basic (Mac). 109.00 

ASCII aPRESS (Communications) . 69.00 
THE DESK ORGANIZER (Mac)... 133.00 

APPLE MOUSE II 129.00 

APPLEWORKS 215.00 

SPELLWORKS CALL 

PAINTSHOP 30.00 

HAYES Mach III Joystick 39.00 

SYSTEMS SAVERF an 69.00 

VI0E0 7 lie Enhancer CALL 

V-color llc(RGB) CALL 

TITAN Accelerator 229.00 

VIDEX Ultraterm 169.00 

APRIC0RN (Lifetime Warranty) 

Super Serial Imager 69.00 

Graphics Interface 59.00 

80 ColumrV64K. 59.00 

EXTEN0IT64K 39.00 

K0AU SpeedKey 99.00 

Muppet Learning Keys 39.00 

DISKETTES Appfe/Mac . . . 12.00/24.00 
APPLE lie 64 k w/80 column . . . 775.00 



Call for complete pricing. Thousands of products available. 



o 



TM 



COMPUTERBANC 

16783 Beach Blvd., Huntington Beach, Cfl 92647 
T€L€X #550757 RNSW€R BBCK— COMPUTCR UD 
714/841-6160 



{ST No Charge For Credit Cards 
Orders Only 

800/332-BANC 

OUTSID€ CALIFORNIA 



Cosh prices indicated. M products ore in factory sealed packages. UJe guarantee oH items for 30 days. UJithln this period, defective merchandise returns must 

be occomponied by RMR number, fill other returns ujIII be subject to a 10% restocking fee. for prepaid orders, there wilJ be a 3% shipping charge; 5% for UPS 

Slue Label; $5.00 minimum: ail orders outside U.S.fi. at 15% shipping. California residents add 6% soles tax. Prices subject to change without notice. 

©Copyright 1985 COMPUT€fl8fiNC, fill Rights Reserved. 



Inquiry 84 



JANUARY 1986 -BYTE 433 



TERMINAL 
EMULATION 



Softerm PC emulates over 30 
popular terminals including the: 

• DECVT102.VT220 

• Data General D200, D410 

• IBM 3101-20 [block mode] 

• Hewlett-Packard 2622A 

• Honeywell VIP7801, VIP7803 
Guaranteed Compatibility 

Call for free product brief 

$195MC-VISA-CQD 

Forthe IBM PC/XT/AT, DG1 , NEC, 

Wang PC, Tl Pro, Gridcase, Tandy 

sarmoNics 

3639 New Getwell, Suite 10 

Memphis,TN38118 

901-683-6850 




INLAB28 

LOGIC/MEMORY 

PROGRAMMER 

It must be magic! 

How else could 

INLAB load all 

these features into such a small package: 

• Capable of programming hundreds of logic 
and memory devices! 

• Small and portable -less than 26 ounces! 

• Inexpensive firmware updating! 

• Available with CUPL™ design software! 

• Standard RS232 interface! 

• EPROM emulation, from 2716 up to 27256 
(including CMOS)! 

It's no illusion! For only $1995. we can make 
a Model 28 appear before your very eyes! 
Just give us a call at 303/460-0103. 

We'd like to do some T^TAFl 

magic for you! li. xI^TV J 

CUPL ii Xn^nwk of Aumtd = ^^ 

Technology; tone eltmr nts of the * Hathaway Company 

M T 2 . 8 " t , nu " ufjc,u " d ind 2150-1 West 6th Avenue 

SIUkw-.L"""' m Broomfield. CO 80020 




WEDGE-PC OEM PRODUCTS 
PC-AT Compatible $1659/one 

512k RAM, 1.2M disk drive, hard disk & floppy 
disk controller, monochrome card. 200W 
power, keyboard, enclosure. 
PC-XT compatible S550/one 
256k RAM, one 340 disk drive, monochrome 
card, keyboard, 130W power, enclosure. 
ATmotherboard$895 AT Enclosure $79 

AT 200W power $135 Monochrome monitor $99 
Dealer call for qty price 

WEDGE TECHNOLOGY INC. 

1190 Mt. View-Alviso Rd., Suite R 

Sunnyvale, CA 94089 (408) 734-9866 

Telex 3719075 EDGE UB 



Inquiry 328 



Inquiry 168 



Inquiry 3 79 




The Loca I Applications J3u s v v 4 , ;;LA£ 4p', 

I n photo are'LA840-PC' fl«narator A 'LAB 40- V ilgn»l acquisition modula. 

• Modular approach to data acquisition and control. 

A 40 conductor ribbon cable bus Is generated by a card in the host 
computer. Up to 8 low cost modules can be located anywhere on 
a cable up to 100 ft. long. Our LAB 40 generator cards for the IBM 
PC or Apple II ara priced A $165. 

• Signal Acqulahlon and Control Module, model 'LAB 40-1'. 



Features: 8 bit resolution, 4 channels, differential Inputs, sampling 
rats up to 650KHZ, software programmable galnsand offset, digital 
output port, low price of 1220. TWelve bit 



PC version $178. Apple II 
version $100. Complete data acquisition packages (hardware 
and software) start at $450. 

• Development tool. 

Unique to LAB 40 Is Its ability to Interface directly to microprocessor 
compatible Integrated circuits and hybrids. We encourage users to 
develop projects and products. LAB 40 is an Ideal educational tool. 

• Now low coat module*. 

Twelve bit A/D. Port/Relay Driver. Real Time Clock. 

Computer Continuum 

75 Southgate Ave.. Suite 6 ■ Daly City, C A 94015 
(415) 755-4978 




iVROSE DATA SWITCHES 

jjK/ ELECTRONICS ol.ac- 

SHARE computers, printers, 

any parallel or serial device 
"*; <V J ELIMINATE cable swapping 
INEXPENSIVEwaytonetwork 
y COMPATIBLE with 
all computers. 

Businesses. Schools, Homes 
WE ALSO OFFER: 
Oata Buffers. Line Drivers. 
Modems, Protocol Converters, 
Parallel - Serial Converters. 
Cables, Computers, Printers, 
Disk Drives, and more. 
AUTOMATIC - CARETAKER is ideal for a business or 
school to share a printer ormodem among many computers. 
Operation is fully automatic with no software required. 
Parallel or Serial 4 channels - $295 8 channels - $395 
MANUAL - HARDSWITCH is operated with the flip of a 
switch. 2:2 and 2:4 models allow simultaneous commun- 
ication. 

Serial 1:2 - $59 1:4 - $ 99 2:2 - $109 2:4 - $169 

Parallel 1:2 -$79 1:4 • $139 2:2 -$119 2:4 • $199 
LED and spike protection on serial models add $20. 
CODE ACTIVATED - PORTER connects one computer to 
multiple peripherals. A software code selects the peripheral. 
Parallel or Serial 4 channels -$295 8 channels - $395 
Buffer option 64K - $100 256K - $250 
REMOTE - TELEPATH connects multiple computers to 
multiple peripherals. A selector at each computer or terminal 
chooses up to 4peripheralsand displays busy status. 
4:4 -$495 4:8 -$795 selector - $39. 

^^ $Cue a /?«4£ tb yuet &*—£*&* 

ROSE ELECTRONICS (713) 933-7673 
P.O. BOX 742571 MC & VISA Accepted 
HOUSTON, TX 77274 D e8ler Inquiries Invited 
CALL US FOR ALL YOUR INTERFACE NEEDS 




The GRANDSTAND 

PRINTER STAND AND TRAY 

• Folds & Stacks Automatically 

• Fits ALL Popular Micro Printers 

• Space Saving Operation 

• Routes Cables Neatly 




Grand Union 

Micro Systems 

P.O. Box 1880 

Fallbrook,CA 92028 

(619)723-0882 



Inquiry 310 



Inquiry 148 







NEC PRINTERS! 


F 

(v 
F 
(v 
F 
(v 
E 


'inwriter P-2 $ 485 

v/lnterface & Tractor) 

'inwriter P-3 $ 685 

v/lnterface & Tractor) 

'inwriter P-5 $ 925 

v/lnterface & Cut Sheet Guide) 

ELF 360, 350 $380 


2010/15/30/50 $ 605 


3510/15/30/50 $ 960 


8810/15/30/50 $1365 


Optional Forms Handling 
Devices CALL 


QUALITY PRINTERS 
8415 Cement City Rd. 
Brooklyn, Michigan 49230 
Phone: 517-592-3749 



ATTENTION Trno 
BERNOULLI BOOSTERS 

Go Either Way! 



BOOT 

from the Bernoulli Box! 
from the AT Hard Disk! 

FORMAT WITH DOS 

PARTITION WITH FDISK 

NO SLOWING 

We've been shipping Bernoulli Boots 

that work lor over a year — 

still wailing? 

Golden Bow Systems 



$95-$110 



San Diego. C A 92 103 

(619) 298-9349 




RS-232 to RS-422A 

CONVERTER 

For 
Under 

$50! 

• Allows your RS-232 Equipment to 
communicate with devices using RS-422A 

• Two converters can extend RS-232 
signals up to 4,000 ft. 

• Bi-directional, uses 12 volts 

ORDER NOW! Model 422 C0V $49.95 
Optional power supply $14.95. Cash orders 
shipped postpaid. IL Res. add 6% sales tax. 
Visa and MasterCard accepted. Satisfaction 
Guaranteed. FREE fully illustrated newly re- 
vised catalog of interface & testing equip- 
ment. Phone: 815-434-0846 



electronics 



P.O. Box 1008B, OTTAWA, IL 61350 



Inquiry 299 



Inquiry 1 47 



Inquiry 30 



Super Disk" 

Diskettes 

Now... Diskettes you can 
swear by, not swear at. 

Lucky foryou, the diskette buyer, there are many diskette 
brands to choose from. Some brands are good, some not 
asgood, andsomeyou wouldn'tthinkof trusting with even 
one byte of your valuable data. Sadly, some manufacturers 
have put their profit motive ahead of creating quality 
products. This has resulted in an abundance of low quality 
but rather expensive diskettes in the marketplace. 

A NEW COMPANY WAS NEEDED AND STARTED 

Fortunately, other people in the diskette industry recognized 
that making ultra-high quality diskettes required the 6esf and 
newest manufacturing equipment as well as the best people 
to operate this equipment. Since most manufacturersseemed 
satisfied to give you only the everyday quality now available, 
an assemblage of quality conscious individuals decided to 
start a new company to give you a new and better diskette. 
They called this product the Super Disk diskette, and you're 
going to love them. Now you have a product you can swear by, 
not swear at. 

HOW THEY MADE THE BEST DISKETTES EVEN BETTER 

The management of Super Disk diskettes then hired all the 
top brains in the diskette industry to make the Super Disk 
product. Then these top bananas (sometimes called floppy 
freaks) created a new standard of diskette quality and 
reliability. To learn the "manufacturing secrets" of the top 
diskette makers, they've also hired the remaining "magnetic 
media moguls" from competitors around the world. Then all 
these world class, top-dollar engineers, physicists, research 
scientists and production experts (if they've missed you, send 
in your resume to Super Disk) were given one directive.. .to 
pool all their manufacturing know-how and create a new, 
better diskette. 

HOW SUPER DISK DISKETTES ARE MANUFACTURED 

The Super Disk crew then assembled the newest, totally 
quality monitored, automated production line in the industry. 
Since the manufacturing equipment at Super Disk is new, it's 
easy for Super Disk to consistently make better diskettes. 
You can always be assured of ultra-tight tolerances and 
superb dependability when you use Super Disk diskettes. If 
all this manufacturing mumbo-jumbo doesn't impress you, 
we're sure that at least one of these other benefits from using 
Super Disk diskettes will: 

1. TOTAL SURFACE TESTING- Formaximum reliability, and to lessen the likelihood of 
disk errors, all diskettes must be totally surface tested. At Super Disk, each diskette is 
100% surface tested. Super Disk is so picky in their testing, they even test the tracks that 
are in between the regular tracks. 

2. COMPLETE LINE OF PRODUCTS -For a diskette to be useful to you and your 
computer, it must be compatable physically. Super Disk has an entire line of 5V4-inch 
diskettes for your computer. 

3. SPECIALLY LUBRICATED DISK- Super Disk uses a special oxide lubricant which is 
added to the base media in the production of their diskettes. This gives you a betterdisk 
drive head to media contact and longer head and disk life. 

4. HIGH TEMPERATURE/LOW-MARRING JACKET - A unique high temperature and 
low-marring vinyl jacket allows use of their product where other diskettes won't work. This 
special jacket is more rigid than other diskettes and helps eliminate dust on the jacket. 

5. REINFORCED HUB RINGS- Standard on all SuperDisk mini-disks, to strengthen the 
center hub hole. This increases the life of the disk tosaveyou money and increase overall 
diskette reliability. 

6. DISK DURABILITY- Super Disk diskettes will beat all industry standards for reliability 
since they will give you more than 75% of the original signal amplitude remaining even 
afteran average (Weibul B-50) of 30 million passes. They are compatible with all industry 
specifications as established by ANSI, ECMA, ISO, IBM and JIS. 

7. CUSTOMER ORIENTED PACKAGING - All Super D/s/c disks are packaged 10 disksto 
a carton and 1 cartons to a case. The economy bulk pack ispackagedl 00 disks to a case 
without envelopes or labels. 

8. LIFETIME WARRANTY - If all else fails, remember, all disks made by SuperDisk Inc., 
have a lifetime warranty. If any Super Disk diskette fails to meet factory specifications, 
SuperDisk Inc. will replace them under the terms of the Super Disk warranty. 

9. SUPERB VALUE - With Super Disk's automated production line, high-quality, error- 
free disks are yours without the high cost. 

Order toll free 800-USA-DISK 

Inquiry 65 



NOW...NAMEBRANDQUALITYATSUPERCE PRICES 

Now.youcan buy SuperDiskbrand diskettes directly from Communi- 
cations Electronics at prices less than "unbranded" generic diskettes. 
Your data is valuable, so why take chances using a diskette that could 
be so unreliable that the manufacturer refuses to put their name on it. 
To save you even more, we also offer Super Disk bulk product where 
1 00 diskettes are packed in the same box without envelopes or labels. 
Since we save packaging costs, these savings are passed on to you. 
Diskette envelopes are also available from us.These superstrong and 
Jtear resistant envelopes are only 8$ each. Use order # EV-5 and 
specify the quantity of 5W' diskette envelopes that you want. 

390 per disk 
Quantity One 

Our diskettes are packed 1 disks to a carton and 1 cartons to a case. 
The economy bulk pack is packaged 100 disks to a case without 
envelopes or labels. For best value, you should order in increments of 
100 diskettes. Almost all diskettes are immediately available from 
Super Disk. With our efficient warehouse facilities, your order is 
normally shipped in less than a day. 

SuperDisk 
SAVE ON SUPER DISK" DISKETTES price 

Product Description Part # per disc (S) 

5V4" SSSD Soft Sector w/Hub Ring 

5W Same as above, but bulk pack w/o envelope 

5 1 /4" SSDD Soft Sector w/Hub Ring 

5V4" Same as above, but bulk pack w/o envelope 

5 1 /4" DSDD Soft Sector w/Hub Ring 

5V4" Same as above, but bulk pack w/o envelope 

5V4" DSQD Soft Sector w/Hub Ring (96 TPI) 

SSSD - Single Sided Single Density; SSDD = Single Sided Double Density; 
DSDD= Double Sided Double Density; DSQD= Double Sided Quad Density. 
TPI = Tracks per inch. 

BUY YOUR DISKETTES FROM CE WITH CONFIDENCE 

To get the fastest delivery of your diskettes, phone your order directly to 
our order desk and charge it to your credit card. Written purchase 
orders are accepted from approved government agencies and most 
well rated firms at a 10% surcharge for net 10 billing. For maximum 
savings, your order should be prepaid. All sales are subject to 
availability, acceptance and verification. All sales are final. All prices 
are in U.S. dollars. Prices, terms and specifications are subject to 
change without notice. Out of stock items may be placed on backorder 
or substituted for equivalent product unless we are instructed 
differently. A $5.00 additional handling fee will be charged for all 
orders with a merchandise total under $50.00. All shipments are 
F.O.B. CEwarehouseinAnn Arbor, Michigan. COD terms are available, 
in U.S. UPS areas for $5.00 extra, and are payable with cash or 
certified check. Michigan residents add 4% sales tax. 

For shipping charges add $6.00 per 100 diskettes and/or any 
fraction of 100 5 1 /4-inch diskettes for U.P.S. ground shipping and 
handling in the continental U.S. For 1 ,000 or more disks shipped to the 
continental U.S., shipping charges are $3.00 per hundred diskettes. 
UPS. 2nd day air rates are three times continental U.S. rates. For 
Canada, Puerto Rico, Hawaii, Alaska, or APO/FPO delivery, shipping is 
three times the continental U.S. rate. 

Mail orders to: Communications Electronics Inc., Box 
1 045, Ann Arbor, Michigan 481 06-1 045 U.S.A. If you have a 
Visa or Master Card, you may call and place a credit card 
order. Order toll-free in the U.S. Dial 800-USA-DISK. In 
Canada, order toll-free by calling 800-CA1-DISK..If you are 
outside the U.S. or in Michigan dial 313-973-8888. Telex 
anytime 81 0-223-2422. Order your Super Disk diskettes now. 

Copyright © 1986 Communications Electronics Inc. Ad #102585-BA 



6431 -B A 


0.54 


6437-BA 


0.39 


6481 -BA 


0.58 


6487-BA 


0.43 


6491 -BA 


0.64 


6497-BA 


0.49 


6501 -B A 


1.49 




Now 

390 

a disk 



JANUARY 1986 'BYTE 435 



Compare for yourself 



Ordering 
Policy 


Capital 
Micro 


Average 
Mail Order 


Satisfaction Guaranteed 


YES 


NO 


YES 


NO 




COD Shipping Available 


YES 


NO 


YES 


NO 


or 1-3% extra 


Defective Returns Accepted 


YES 


NO 


YES 


NO 


manuf. only 


FREE Shipping 


YES* 


NO 


YES 


NO 


3-5%. $5 min. 


Additional Credit Card Charge YES 


NO 


YES 


NO 


2-5% 



FREE SHIPPING ON ORDERS OVER $1 00 



HEWLETT-PACKARD 

1 Series 

HPHC Scientific $ 55.95 

HP-12C Financial $ 87.95 

HP-15C Scientific $ 87.95 

HP-16C Computer Science $ 87.95 



HEWLETT-PACKARD 

40 Series 

HP-41CV Scientific $ 169.95 

HP-41CX Scientific $ 239.95 

Accessories 

82059D Battery Recharger $ 1 6.00 

82104A Card Reader $ 150.15 

82120A Battery Pac $ 28.00 

82160A HP-IL Interface $ 96.25 

82180 A Extend Functions $ 60.00 

82181A Extend Memory $ 60.00 

92266A Extended Use Battery $ 39.95 

Software 

41-15049 Math/Statistics Pac $ 36.00 

41-15004 Financial Decision $ 28.00 

41-15027 Stress Analysis $ 28.00 

41-14005 Surveying $ 28.00 

41-14006 Circuit Analysis $ 36.00 

41-15055 Advantage Rom $ 39.95 



HEWLETT-PACKARD 

70 Series 

HP-718 Handheld Computer $ 389.95 

HP-75D Handheld Computer $ 799.00 

Peripherals 

82400A Card Reader $ 127.05 

82401A HP-IL Interface $ 96.25 

82420A 4K Memory Module $ 60.00 

82441A FORTH Assembler $ 115.50 

82483A Surveying $ 115.50 

82490 A 41/71 Translator Pac $ 96.25 

921 98A IL 80 Column Interf $ 250.25 

82489A Statistics Pac $ 96.25 



EPSON 

LX-80 100cps & NLQ Dot Matrix. $ 

LX-90 100cps & NLQ Dot Matrix. $ 

FX-85 160cps Dot Matrix $ 

FX-185 160cps Dot Matrix $ 

JX-80 Color Dot Matrix $ 

HS-80 Inkjet $ 

AP-80 Apple comp. Dot Matrix. .$ 

SQ2000 Office Inkjet $ 

LQ1500 NLQ Dot Matrix $ 

DX-10 Daisywheel $ 

DX-20 Daisywheel $ 

DX-35 35cps Daisywheel $ 

PX-8 Geneva Computer $ 

HX-20 Lap Computer $ 




HEWLETT-PACKARD 

Additional Items 

45710A Portable w/ Lotus 123 $ CALL 

457118 Portable Plus $1795.00 

22258 Thlnkjet Printer $ 379.00 

7470A 2-Pen Plotter $ 843.15 

9114A 710K Disc Drive $ 625.00 

82143A Thermal Printer $ 295.00 

82161 A Cassette Drive $ 423.00 

82162A IL Printer $ 346.50 

82164A IL/RS-232 Interface $ 227.15 

82165A IL/GPIO Interface $ 227.15 

82169A IL/IB Interface $ 304.15 

82153A Optical Wand $ 96.25 

92192A Box ot 10 Discs $ 55.20 

92285A Laser Jet Toner * 79.20 



AT8J 






4000 Modem $ 349.00 

Sottcall $ 59.95 




CAprmL 

MICRO 

The Intelligent Choice 



7600 FLOWER AVENUE 
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20912 



(800) 544-4442 

in Maryland, call 

(301) 565-3595 



TERMS: 

lipping c 
•NO ADDITIONAL CHARGE tor credit cards. 
•MD residents add 5% sales tax. 
•Credit reterences required tor open account. 
•Allow 2 weeks tor personal checks. 
•C.O.D.'s— cash, money order, bank or 
certified check. 



COMPUTERS 

Epson 

Equity I Single Drive $ 799.00 

Equity I Dual Drive $ CALL 

Equity i Floppy/Hard Drive $ CALL 

Sperry 

"IT" 51 2K, 44 mbyte 
Sperry Monitor, and keyboard $ 3995.00 

Quad ram 

DataVue portable $ 1295.00 





PRINTERS 








Diablo 






D-25 


25 cps Daisywheel 

Okidata 


$ 


595.00 


ML182 
ML192 
Ok120 
ML193 


120cps Dot Matrix 

160cps Dot Matrix 

Color Dot Matrix 

160cps Wide Carriage. 

Brother 


$ 
$ 
$ 
$ 


219.00 
349.00 
199.00 
499.00 


M1509 180cps Wide Carriage. 

HR-15XL 17cps Daisywheel 

HR-35 36cps Daisywheel 

2024L 200cps & NLQ 

Twtnwriter 5 Daisywheel/Dot Matrix . . 


$ 
$ 
$ 

..$ 
. $ 


379.00 
345.00 
689.00 | 
799.00 I 
815.00 I 




Panasonic 






KXP1091 




. $ 


249.00 


Citizen 


120D 120cps Dot Matrix 

MSP-10 160cps Dot Matrix 

MSP-15 160cps Wide Carriage. 

MSP-20 200cps Dot Matrix 

MSP-25 200cps Wide Carriage. 
Premier 35 35cps Daisywheel 


$ 
$ 
$ 
..$ 
$ 


199.00 
265.00 
379.00 
359.00 
499.00 
439.00 ; 




Star 






SG10/15 120cps Dot Matrix 

SD10/15 160cps Dot Matrix 

SR10/15 200cps Dot Matrix 

SB10 24 pin Head 

PowerTypeDaisywheel 


$ 

.$ 
.$ 
$ 
$ 


235/275 

339/449 

485/595 

549.00 

309.00 




Amdek 






V300G 
V310A 
C300 
C710 


12" Green Monitor 

12" Amber IBM Monitor. 
13" Color Composite. . . 
13" 720 x 480 Monitor. . 


$ 
$ 

.$ 
$ 


129.00 
159.00 
199.00 
589.00 



436 BYTE- JANUARY 1986 



Inquiry 52 




FORTRON CORPORATION 

3225 SELDON COURT, FREMONT, CA 94538 



INFORMATION & CALIF. RESIDENTS 

[415] 490-8171 

TLX: 559291 FORTRON 
FAX: [415] 490 9156 



When choosing a POWER SUPPLY for your PC. XT. AT or Compatibles 
please consider this. . . 

_ FC 135-40 [140 W. max.] 



"All look-alike supplies come with some type of 
warranty, only Fortron's power supplies come with a 
guarantee backed by a full U.L. rating. 
Your PC represents a substantial investment, it does not 
make sense to risk costly downtime due to bargain 
power supplies, when for a few dollars more you can 
have the confidence of Fortron quality." 

Trust in Fortron quality without compromise. 




PC/XT 



189" 




PC/AT 



FC 5192 

[200 W. max.] 

• Identical dimension & pin-out to 
IBM AT power supply 

• Faraday type pin-out available 

• W/4 drives connectors 

• High air flow, low noise DC fan, 
110/230 VAC convertible 

• OCP, OVP, short circuit, 
thermostat protections 

• U.L. recognition, one year 
warranty 




129 00 

For upgrade IBM PC to XT same pin out, same 

dimension as IBM PC, XT 

or 8 pin output connectors for Faraday 

CPU board 

With 4 drives connectors 

Low noise DC fan, 110/230 VAC convertible 

Over current, over voltage, short circuit, thermostat 

protections 

U.L. recognition, one year warranty 



FORTROIM-200 

[200 W. Uninterruptible 
Power System for P.C.] 

• 115V/230V AC input convertible 

• Input current 2.5 amp 

• 200W continuous 

• Vz cycle (typical) transfer time 

• Hold-up time from 20 minutes (200W) 
up to 60 minutes (60W) 

• 5.12" x 7.7" x 13.46" 



ORDER TOLL FREE [800] 821-9771 

INFORMATION & IN CALIF. [415] 490-8171 



Attractive Prices for Dealers/OEM's 
Please Call for Current Prices! 



COMPUTER CHASSIS & KEYBOARD 



FC740 
Multi-i/O Card 

• 1 EIA-RS232C 
port. 2nd optional 

• 1 Centronics port 

• Clock/calendar 

• Set/Retrieve clock 
program 

• Game port 

• Control 2 Half- 
Height Floppy 
Drives 



FC 630 A2 



99* 



IBM XT identical 
To use FC 135-40 
power supply 
Side switch 
Complete mount- 
ing parts 



FC 630 AT 

139° 



IBM AT identical 
Complete mount- 
ing hardware 
LED lamps, 
speaker optional 



FC 640 Expansion Chassis 

269 °° ExtVRcv. 

Adaptor 

179°° 



Comes with 5 slot mother 
brd., 100 W. power supply, 
cooling fan 

Three V2 height drive bracket 
Dia. 13V5'xl2*x6V4* 
Ext./Rcv. Adaptor optional 



FC427 



89° 



m 



m 



IBM XT keyboard 

compatible 

Enlarged return 

key 

Light and num. 

lock keys 



FC527 



JK^P 



129" 



IBM AT keyboard 
compatible 
Enlarged return 
shift key 
Capacitance low 
profile key 
switch 



FC 230 Floppy 
Disk Controller 

• Drives 4x5Va" 
FDD 

• IBM compatible 

• w/cable 




59* 



FC330 Hard 
Disk Controller 

• Up to 2 Hard 
Disk Drives 

• Fully Buffered I/O 
Bus 

• Built-in ECC 



149° 



FC 520 Color 
Graphic Mono- 
chrome/Printer 

• TTL/composite level 
outputs 

• 320 X 200 (color) 
640x200 (B/W) 

• Centronics printer 
port 

• Printer port address 
selectable 

• Light pen 



FC940 RS232 
/Real Time 
Clock 

• To 9600 Baud 

• Battery back-up 




69°° 59°° 

Clock only 



FC 830 512K 

Memory 

Expansion 

• From 64K to 512K 

• Parity-checked 
memory for error 
detection 




Low Low Cost for IBM" PC, XT. AT Add-On Cards 



FC 730 AT 
Multifunction 
Card for PC-AT 
249 00 

• Game Port 

• 2 EIA-RS232C port 

• Centronics printer 
port 

• 128K to 1.5MB 
memory using 
64/256K DRAM 

• Expandable to 3MB 
(optional) 

• Spooler 

• RAM disk 



FC 930 RS232/ 
Parallel Port 

• RS232 serial 

• Parallel interface 




79* 



FC 530 

Monochrome/ 

Printer 

• 8 X25 screen 

• 7 x 9 character 

• TTL Level of output 



• w/Swivels 

• Hi-Res for IBM PC 



99 ao 



550 [CT-6040J 

Monochrome/Graphic/ 

Printer 

• 80x25 text mode 

• 720x348 graphic mode 

• Runs Lotus 1-2-3 

• 64K Graphic Display Mem. 




109™ 






FC 730 [CT-6050C] 
384K Multifunctions 

• Memory Expansion to 
384K 

• Clock/Calendar 

• Serial, parallel interface 

• Game port 



129° 



19 9 
11 B 



► Hard Disk Drive Cable 
(34p-34p) 

► Floppy Drive Cable . . . 

► 9 pin D type to 25 pin 

D type for PCAT 19 00 

Printer cable 25 DB to 

Centronics 19 00 

RS232 to RS232 cable . . 19°° 

Power cord w/female 

socket 2 00 



TEAC 

55BV 
360K 
F.D.D. 

89 00 



TEAC 
55GV 
1.2MB 
F.D.D. 

for 
PC-AT 
13goo 



10MB 
H.D.D. 
4490° 

20MB 

H.D.D. 
559 00 

(H.D.D. 

w/cable 

controller) 



Internal Modem 
179 00 



Free PC-Talk 
Software 
300/1200 baud 
Auto Busy 
Redial, Auto 
Answer 

Dual phone jack 
plus RS232 port 



RAM 

CHIPS 

64K 8 00 / 

9 pes. 

256K 33°°/ 

9 pes. 

128K 53/9 set 

(for PC-AT) 



RS232/ 
Printer 
Card for 
PC-AT 



EIA RS232C 
port 

Centronics 
parallel port 



119° 



PRINTER 

QQOO 

59°%iopcb 

• Thermo 

• 80 character/ 
line 

• Battery 
Back-up 

• Centronics 
parallel 
interface 



TERMS 

Min. shipping fit handling 

$6.00. 

Can be more for actual cost. 

CA. Res. add 6.5% tax. 

No return merchandise without 

a RMA No. 

Restocking charge 15%. 

Prices subject to change 

w/o notice. 



Inquiry 396 for End-Users. Inquiry 397 for DEALERS ONLY. 



JANUARY 1986 -BYTE 437 



The Diversified Group 



The DG PC Series computers offers the maximum alternatives in the PC XT compatible market. 
Alternatives which exceed current PC XT configurations. 

Standard features on all DG PC Series computers include: 

• Full compatibility with IBM PC XT® machines 

• 640K bytes of parity checked memory, 8 slots 

• 135 watt power supply 

• Keytronics 5151 compatible keyboard 

• 1 Full Year Warranty on Parts and Labor. 



wmm. 




BASE UNIT 

System Unit 

640K on Board 

Two 360K Drives 

w/Controller 
135 Watt 

Power Supply 

$699.95 



DG-PC 

SYSTEM 

System Unit 

640K on Board 

Two 360K Drives 

135 watt pwr sply 

Hi-Res Green Mon 

w/lnterface Card 

$847.95 



XT- 
System Unit 
640K on Board 
One 360K Drive 
10Meg w/135 watt 
Monochrome Mon 
Monochrome Card 

$1195.95 



All DG Systems are fully IBM Compatible w/1 Year Warranty 



$3295.95 
3295.95 



COMPAQ 

DESKPRO 286 

Model I $1724.95 Deskpro 286 

Model II 2049.95 Portable 286 

Model III 3549.95 

PORTABLE PORTABLE + DG 

Two 360K Drives, One 360K Drive, 256K 

256K 10 Meg Hard Disk 

$1987.95 $2389.95 

Some Compaqs have been Enhanced by The Diversified Group 
All Come with 1 Year Warranty through The Diversified Group 



IBM 



IBM PC 
One 360K Dr, 256K $1489.95 
Two 360K Dr, 256K 1592.95 

IBM XT 

One 360K Drive & 10 Meg Drive 
$2231.95 

IBM AT 
Unenhanced $3395.95 

Enhanced DG 3995.95 



IBM SYSTEM 

PC-XT 

with 10 Meg 

One 360K Drive, 

Hercules Color 

Compatible Card 

Hi-Res Green Monitor 

Dos 2.1 

$2492.95 



TOLL FREE ORDER LINE 

(800) 523-1041 

INSIDE CALIFORNIA 

(213) 675-0717 

438 BYTE- JANUARY 1986 



MAIL ORDERS TO: 
8726 S. Sepulveda, Suite A132, Los Angeles, CA 90045 

WAREHOUSE: 4732 Rosecrans, Hawthorne, CA 90250 
IBM PC-XT is a registered Trademark of International Business Machines 



VISA 



TERMS: 

Visa, MC, Co. Check, Cashiers Check 

Wire Transfer, P.O.'s Accepted 

Minimum Shipping $4.50.AII Orders Insured 

No Surcharge on Credit Cards 



They Say It - WE DO IT! 

BEAT ALL COMPETITOR'S PRICES 

Call (800) 523-1041 



SIEMANS 5Va" 

• Tandon Compatible • 360K 
Double Side/Double Density 

2 for $137.00 

HARD DISK DRIVES 

All Hard Disks Come With: 1 Yr. Warranty, Cables, 
Controller and are Formatted 



QTY. 1 

$389.95 

489.95 

789.95 



QTY. 5 

$379.95 

469.95 

779.95 



10 Megabyte w/Controller 
20 Megabyte w/Controller 
30 Megabyte w/Controller 

For 1/2 Height Drives add $50 

Most Hard Disks are Shugart, Mlcrosci, CMI, Rodine 

Call for Others 

TAPE BACKUP BY IRWIN 

10 Meg Internal Vi Height, 

Low Power $495.95 $485.95 

10 Meg External Back-up 635.95 615.95 

5 1 A" DISK DRIVES 

For IBM COMPATIBLES 

Teac 55B $ 84.95 $ 81.95 

Epson 89.95 86.95 

IBM "Logo" Drives 119.95 109.95 

Tandon TM100-2 89.95 87.95 

Slemans (Tandon Compatible) 69.95 69.95 

DISK DRIVE CONTROLLERS 

IBM (Original) Controller $ 99.95 - 

IBM Compatible Controler 59.95 — 

Western Digital Hard Disk Cont. 179.95 - 

Adaptec Hard Disk Cont. 199.95 — 

DG Hard Disk Cont. 139.95 - 



! I I I I I I I I I | 



■ ■*/■ If :i i rvi i ■ i i \w\ rr * 1 1 1 * 



fftf 



AST ADVANTAGE 

• Comes with 1.5 Meg 
• Parallel Port • Serial Port 

$497.95 

AST SlxPac+ w/OK 2 Yr War $219.95 

MF-100 SixPac Compatible plus Gameport 

Par., Ser., Game, 0K-384K, Software 

Clock Calendar, 2 Year Warranty $119.95 

AST Advantage w/1.5 Megabyte of Memory 

Parallel & Serial Ports $529.95 



MBW 



HAYES 

1200B w/Smartcom II $356.95 
1200 External $385.95 2400 External $599.95 

PROMETHEUS 

Pro 1200 Ex. $289.95 Pro 1200B Int. $309.95 



OK I DATA ML193P 

• 160 cps • 15" Carriage 
w/Correspondence Quality • Similar to Epson FX100 

$539.95 



LETTER QUALITY - DOT MATRIX 

OK I DATA 

ML182P, 120 cps, Parallel $229.95 

ML182S, 120 cps, Serial 309.95 

ML192P, 160 cps, w/NLQ 339.95 

ML192S, 160 cps, Serial 439.95 

ML193P, 15" Carriage, 160 cps, w/NLQ 539.95 

ML193S, 15" Carriage, 160 cps, Serial 639.95 

ML84P, 15" Carriage, 200 cps 749.95 

ML84S, 15" Carriage, 200 cps, Serial 859.95 

EPSON — Call for Availability 

We also carry Ml, Dynax, Toshiba, Star, Panasonic, NEC, Brother 
We Will Also Beat All Competitors Prices on These Too. 











IUK 1 J 1 1 1 H ■ 111 lUI . 11 i» 1 1 1 <-■■■■■ 




^- 


ihi i 1 1 1 1 ■* ■ in trr :: ii >■ i i r* ■■■■■ 






1™ f ™ ff rT MTni 1™I ^*1 1 




HERCULES COMPATIBLE 

Color Graphics w/Parallel Port 2 Yr. War. $104.95 
Monochrome Graphics w/Par Port 119.95 

EVEREX 

The Edge Color/Mono $289.95 
Graphics Edge 289.95 

IBM 

IBM Monochrome w/Parallel Port $219.95 
IBM Color Card w/Parallel Port 214.95 

PARADISE 

Modular Graphics Card $259.95 

SIGMA 

Color 400 Board $539.95 









































50 Sets 

•Due 

128 

Nine, 4128 
25 Sets 

8 

5MHZ Ma 

fo 

j 


64K SETS* 

All Upgrades Carry a 2 Year Warranty 

Nine 4164, 200ns $7.95 

$6.54 ea. 150ns Sets 

to Semi Conductor Market Call for Current P 

K SETS 256 K S 

$39.95 9, 41256, 200ns 
32.95 ea. 25 Sets 

80287 

5MHZ lor AT & Deskpro {189.95 

087-3 8087- 

th Co-Processor 8MHZ Math Co 
r IBMPC for AT&T, Compa 
5109.95 $124.9 


$8.00 

rices 

ETS 

$28.95 
27.95 ea. 

2 

•Processor 
q, Deskpro 



[ HrlffitylQNSWS 



AMDEK COLOR COMPOSITE 

• Works w/IBM 
Apple and Commodore 

$159.95 



AMDEK 

300G Composite Green $124.95 

300A Composite Amber 134.95 

310A Monochrome Amber 159.95 

TAXAN 

Call For Lowest Prices 

SAKATA 

SC-100 Color Composite 13" 280x300 $179.95 
SC-150 Color Composite or RGB 640 x 200 

w/Text Switch 379.95 

SC-200, 640x240 Dot Pitch .39 399.95 

SC-300P, 800x400 Dot Pitch .31 599.95 



PRINCETON GRAPHICS 



HX12, 640x200 Dot Pitch .31 
HX12E, 640x350 Dot Pitch .28 
SR12, 640x400 Dot Pitch .31 
SR12P, 640x480 Dot Pitch .26 
HX-9, 640x350 Dot Pitch .28 
MAX12E, 720x350 



$442.95 
517.95 
573.95 
787.95 
432.95 
169.95 



DIVERSIFIED GROUP 

100 Hi-Res Green 18MHZ Composit 80 col. $ 79.95 
100 Hi-Res Amber 18MHZ Compos. 80 col. 89.95 
200 Hi-Res Green 20MHZ Mono. 80 col. 89.95 

200 Hi-Res Amber 20MHZ Mono. 80 col. 99.95 

DG Monitors come with 1 Year Warranty 



■nri iiM iar :inri jmm ii I! n it ll i^VTI 



5Va" POLAROID DISKS 

• 10 Diskettes 
• Reinforced Hub • w/Free Library Case 

$12.95 

/l-fl SWITCH BOXES 

Parallel 2 pos. $54.95 Serial 2 pos. $64.95 

DISKETTES 

Polaroid Dbi/Dbl 5 Year Warranty 
1 bx. $12.95 10 bxs. $11.95 100 bxs. $9.95 

KEYTRONICS KEYBOARDS 

5153 Touch Pad $289.95 
5150 Standard $169.95 5151 Deluxe $179.95 



BELKIN CABLES 



IBMPC to Par. 



6 foot Shielded 

$14.95 IBMPC to Modem$16.95 



The Diversified Group 



Inquiry 428 



TOLL FREE ORDER LINE 

(800) 523-1041 

INSIDE CALIFORNIA 

(213) 675-0717 

JANUARY 1986 -BYTE 439 



nflflffliiai 



Sampler (135) and/or 

Professional Systems (from J 175) for , . 

Apple ProDos 

Amiga 
Micro VAX 

Macintosh 
IBM PC/AT 

DFC Falcon 

UNIFORTH is a full-featured, floating-point, FORTH-83 
Standard language available for most micro and mint computers 

Call or write for our free catalog or use our 

Bulletin Board (614-459-7736, 300/1200 Baud) 

f ormoredetailed Information 



UNIFIED SOFTWARE SYSTEMS 

P Box 2 1 294, Columbus, OH 43221 -0294 

(614)459-7735 




RPPLE I I " I/O 

ROBOTIC CONTROLLER 



LIE KNEUI THE TRUE ENTHUSIAST MOULD 
Ft MO THIS ARTICLE WAV BACK HEAE 
IN THE BACK OF BYTE 

THE BUKOUISKI ROBOTICS UIP CAAD 
IS A LOUI COST APPLE COMPATIBLE 
ROBOTICS CONTROLLER CAAD THAT NAV 
BE USED STANO ALONE, OA I N AN APPLE 
SLOT AS AN INTELLIGENT PEAIPHEAAL 
CARD THE CAAD FEATUAES AN ONBOAAD 
65C02 MICROPROCESSOR, UP TO 48 I/O 
LINES, 2 TIMERS. AND BK NON UOLATlLE 
RRM SHIPPEO WITH TONS OF SOFTWARE 
RND SUPPORT . $129 00 
BUKOUSKI ROBOTICS 
1555 U UNIUERSITV "105 
TEMPE AZ 85281 < 602) 966-6230 



Software for 
Engineers 



Electronic Circuit Analysis 

• Nonlinear transient, DC, AC analysis 

• Worst Case, Monte-Carlo 

• Frequency, time dependent parts 
$450 

Logic Simulation System 

• Full delay analysis 

(min, max, typical, load dependent) 

• Ability to save simulation results 
__ $395. 

Both have: 

• Built in editor, fully interactive 

• Macros (unlimited) 

• Large circuits 

For MS-DOS, 192k minimum 



Tatum Labs 
33 Main Street 
Newtown, CT 06470 
(203) 426-2184 



Inquiry 367 



Inquiry 426 



Inquiry 427 



VT100$150 

* plus your 
PC, jr, XT, AT or compatible 

ZSTEMpc-vT100 Smart Terminal Emulator 

132-col. by windowing - no addit. hardware 

Double High Double Wide Characters 

Full VT100 line graphics. Smooth scrolling 

2-way file transfers incl. XMODEM and KERMIT 

Full keyboard softkeys/MACROS 

Speeds to 38.4KB. High Throughput 

Color/graphics, monochrome & EGA support 

International Font Support • DOS Access 

ZSTEMpc-VT1 00 S150. ZSTEMpc-D200 S125. 

4010/4014 Option S99 

30 day money back guarantee. MC/VISA. 

KEA SYSTEMS LTD. 

#412 - 2150 W. Broadway 

Vancouver, B.C. CANADA V6K 4L9 

Support (604) 732-7411 

TELEX 04-352858 VCR 

Order Toll Free (800) 663-8702 



Zstem 



by 



ICTcA 



PC EXPANSIONS 

AST SixPakPlus (64k) $229 

SixPakPlus (384k) $259 

MegaPlus (64k) $269 

Advantage (1 28k) $409 

Advantage (1.5M) $569 

I/O Plus $129 

PCnet - starter kit $809 

Ouadboard (64k) $193 

Quadboard (384k) $229 

Quadmeg-AT(128k $319 

Quadmeg-AT (2M) $529 

Quadport-AT $1 05 

HERCULES graphics board $319 

ColorCardwith PP $159 

HAYES Modems: 2400 $call 

Smartmodem 1 200 $409 

Smartmodem 1 200B $379 

Set of 9 chips (64k $6 

256k chips (each) $3 

8087 chip $119 

Maynard Disk Controller $100 

Sandstar Series $call 

Internal Hard Disks from $609 

MaynStream tape backup from. . . $979 

Oume 142A $99 

Teac FD55B $99 

Tandon TM1 00-2 $109 

CDC 9409 $119 

Verbatim Datalif e disks (10) $20 

VLM Computer Electronics 

10 Park Place • Morristown, NJ 07960 
(201) 267-3268 Visa. MC. Check or COD. 



Serial 4 ■ ■ ■ IH ■ ■ ■ ^ Parallel 




Convert What You Have 
To What You Want! 



• RS232 Serial 

• 8 Baud Rates 

• Latched Outputs 



• Centronics Parallel 
' Handshake Signals 

* Compact 3'/. x 4S x VA 



No longer will your peripheral choices be limited by the type 
of port you have available! Our new High Performance 700 
Series Converters provide the missing link. Based on the 
latest In CMOS technology, these units feature full baud 
rate selection to 19.2K, with handshake signals to maximize 
transfer efficiency. Detailed documentation allows 
simplified Installation. Order the Model 770 (Ser/Par) or 
Model 775 (Par/Ser) Today! 

onl y *89. 95 

Connector Option J10.00 
CA Residents 8% tax 
UPS Shlpplnrj M 00 



AmErtronlcB 



2734-C Johnson Dr. 

Post Olfice Box 3717 

Veniura, California 93006 



c© 



CALL (805) 658-7466 or 658-7467 
For FAST Delivery " 



Inquiry 393 



Inquiry 353 



DATA ACQUISITION 
and control for ANY computer 




The Model 1232 communicates via RS-232. 
and has 8 analog inputs ( ± 4 VDC; 1 2 bits), 
8 digital inputs and outputs, and a 2000 
point buffer. Suitable for field data logging 
or lab use, the 1232 costs only $690. The 
8-bit system (0-5 VDC) is $490. Detailed 
manual, $6. Phone our applications 
engineer at 617-237-5514 or write: 



STARBUCK w w 

DATA COMPANY "T" "T" 



*¥ 



2 Mica Lane, Wellesley, MA 02181 



TIME SAVING - MONEY SAVING 

PRINTER BUFFER 




SPOOL-Z-Q PIUS k a parallel prbiliT huder which vwrks will) any ( >.ir,illel printer 
.Hid frees up ytHir computer (or productuv use while printing. WiY hiish capacity 
(U8K tu 512KI and full finit" •iji.uc .mil null tli.ir.icri >r t omprcssion me. ins tlul 
Spool-Z Q Plus is re.tdy to uWi- on the rc.illy hi* jol>s A specr.il Pauseoiv 
hirmlcrcl le.ilure allows printing sinftk 1 sheets from the hulit-r. Spool-ZQ I'lus 
also I). is Copy. Clor. jnd St-If-Tesl furu lions butll in. Supplied Complete will) 
UL/CSA listed power supply, the Spool-Z (} I'lws duller is easy lo mst.ill and use. 
Alt models jre userexp.ind.ihlc lo 5I2K ,il jiiy tinu'liy |usl liluKKiin; in standard 
■>5(>K RAM chips Spool Z-Q Plus is the professional's (hone, for si«?. (eatures, 
.lf«l |>r.V«:. 
(Without Cable) 128K-S279 256K-$309 512K-$369 
(Including Cable) 12«K-$J09 256K-S339 512K-S399 
SPOOL-Z.Q BLUE PLUG IN PRINTER BUFFER FOR THE IBM PC ,»ldc»mpa(i- 
hie computers IS A GENUINE HARDWARE PRINTER BUFFER. NCJT A SPOOLER. 
I'.ir.illt'l only <ind SeriaLPatallel models avjilahle. Wtorks with any solhv.ire and 
does not use Jrty •! the computer's memory. Sizes (torn 25(>K to I.024K are 
available. Spool-Z-Q Blue replaces the parallel printer tatd in the PC (May be 
LIM), 1, or i). Many, many advanced features. Call Of write lor lull detail*. Prices 
start ,« $3!'.) (Parallel only! .md S l'?9 IScrial Capable!. 



Av.itl.ible from dealers or direct from us. We accepi M/C. VISA. AMEX or COO 
orders No charge for shipping or COD 15 day trial period (no-hassle relund 
fjolicyl on all products. CA residents — 6% tax. 



Jotectrontes 



DEALER INQUIRIES INVITED. 
O.E.M.S - We can modify our 1601 Fulton Ave.,Suite 10A 

buffers to meet your special Sacramento, CA 95825 

(916) 483-0709 



Maxell Floppy Disks 

The Mini-Disks 
with maximum quality. 





! 

Dealer inquiries 
invited. GO.D's 
accepted. Call 
FREE (800) 235-4137. 



PACIFIC EXCHANGES 

100 Foothill Blvd.. San Luis 
San Luis Obispo. CA 93401. 
InCal. call (800) 592-5935 or 
{805)543-1037. 



Inquiry 3 37 



Inquiry 189 



Inquiry 272 



TAKE THE D & D CHALLENGE! 
CAN YOU FIND A BETTER PRICE? 



SPECIAL #1 

CORONA 
PORTABLE 

• 256K • 2 Drives 
• Monitor • Keyboard • DOS 

$1195 



All Sales Are Warranteed for 90 Days, Parts & Labor 
WE SERVICE WHAT WE SELL! 

MAIL ORDER AND SAVE 

ORDER TOLL FREE (800) 621-0849 ext. 446 



SPECIAL #2 

IBM XT 256K 

• One 360K Drive • One 20 MG 
Hard Disk • Keyboard • Controllers 



$2295 



SYSTEMS 



IBM 

PC 256K, 1 Drive $1495 

PC 256K, 2 Drives 1529 

XT 256K, 1 Drive 1879 

XT 256K, 1 Drive 1-10 MG 2229 

AT & T 

Call for best price 

COMPAQ 

Portable, 2 Drives, 256K . . $1875 
Call on Desk Pro's 

CORONA 

Portable $1195 

Desk Top, 2 Drives, 256K 
w/monitor 1399 

ZENITH 

Call for best price 



MODEMS 



HAYES 

Micromodem HE $149 

300 149 

1200 389 

1200B IBM Internal 359 

2400 External 639 

PROMETHEUS 

Promodem 1200 $279 

Promodem 1200A 289 

Promodem 1200B 269 

Promodem 1200MAC Call 



ANCHOR 



Express . 



.$219 



PRINTERS 



EPSON 

Call for Best Pricing 

OKIDATA 

182, 120 cps $218 

183, 120 cps 418 

192, 160 cps, IBM 348 

193, 160 cps, IBM 498 

84, 200 cps, IBM 658 

OKI-MATE 20, Color 118 

TOSHIBA 

P1351 Call 

P1340 $ 519 

P351 1029 

STARMICRONICS 

SG10/15 $219/389 

SD10/15 355/469 

SR10/15 Call 

CITIZEN 

MSP-10 $249 

MSP-15 369 

MSP-20 399 

MSP-25 539 



DISKETTES 



Call for quantity discounts 

PRECISION COPY 

SS 100 (Box of 10) $12 

DS 100 (Box of 10 15 

DYSAN 

SS 100 (Box of 10 $30 

DS 100 (Box of 10) 34 

MAJOR BRAND DS/DD 

Bulk Disks as low as . . . .69C ea. 



IBM EXTRAS 



We carry almost everything for 

PC, AT or XT 

Name Brands or Generic 

AST RESEARCH 

PC Net II $519 

SixPak + , 64K w/Side Kick . 209 

Reach wCrosstalk 329 

Preview Mono Card 239 

Advantage wl28K 399 

D & D MEMORY CARD 

MF-100 + , 64K same as 

SixPak + $119 

HERCULES 

Color Card w/Printer Port . .$149 
Mono Graphics Card 305 

GOODIES 

IBM Printer Cable $15 

64K Ram Set of Nine Chips . 8 
256K Ram Set of Nine Chips 29 

Power Supply 135 Watts 79 

8087 CoProcessor Call for Best Price 

DOS 2.1 55 

DOS 3.1 64 



MONITORS 



PRINCETON GRAPHICS 

Max 12E $159 

HX-9 Call 

HX-12 429 

SR-12 569 

Doubler Card 179 

THOMSON 

Color Monitor $329 

Monochrome Monitor 169 



AMDEK 



310A 
600.. 
722.. 



.$148 
. 419 
. 525 



DRIVES 



IBM COMPATIBLE 

Teac 55B $90 

Mitsubishi 4851 89 

Tandon TM 100-2 89 

In quantities of 2 or more 

TEAC 

55B, 360K $ 94 

55GF, 1.2MG for AT 149 

WELTEC 

AT Compatible 360K $109 



IRWIN 

10 MG Tape Backup . . 



.$479 



100% APPLE 
COMPATIBLE 5Vi" 

525A for He and 11+ $109 

525CforIIc 119 

350M for Mac Call 



BUILD YOUR 
OWN P.C. 



640K Mother Board 

w/8 Slots $179 

Flip Top Case w/speaker ... 59 

Disk Controller 49 

Color Card 99 

Monochrome Card 129 

5151 Keyboard 99 

Dual Drive Kit 189 

135 Watt Power Supply 79 



WE OFFER VOLUME DISCOUNTS! MAKE THAT CALL (800) 621-0849 ext. 446 



SPECIAL #3 

IBM PC 

• Two V2 Ht 360K Drives 
256K • 10 MG Hard Disk Drive 
• 120 Day Warranty 

$1929 



SPECIAL #4 

MULTIFUNC. CARD FOR IBM 

• Serial and Parallel Ports 

• Clock/Gameport • Ram disk/ 

Printer spool, Software • 1 yr. War. 

w/384K only $139 



SPECIAL #5 

INTERNAL HARD DISK 
FOR IBM 

• Seagate w/IBM Controller 
10 Meg 20 Meg 

$419 $519 



SPECIAL #6 

IBM PC/XT COMPATIBLE 

• Two 360K V2 Ht Drives 

• 256K • 8 Slots • 135 Watts 

• 120 Day Warranty 

$569 



6 6 



Di/counl 
Computer/ 



SELLING TO YOU SINCE 1978 



MAIL ORDER: 

13324 HAWTHORNE BLVD., SUITE 201 
HAWTHORNE, CA 90250 

ORDER DESK: 

Inside California (213) 970-0206 

Outside California (800) 621-0849 x446 

Hours: Monday— Friday 8 am to 6 pm 
Open Saturdays 



WE CARRY TOO MANY ITEMS TO LIST, 
PLEASE CALL FOR A QUOTE ON ANY ITEM. 



jfflft 



No Surcharge for Credit Cards 

Terms:All merchandise new. We accept MC, Visa, Wire 
Transfer, C.O.D. (call), Certified Check. P.O/s from 
qualified firms. Shipping: minimum $4.00 first 5 pounds. 
Tax: California residents only add G/2% salestax. All returns 
subject to 15% restock fee. Prices Subject to Change. 



Inquiry 98 



JANUARY 1986 'BYTE 441 



KODAK 
DISKETTES: 

Discover the 
future today! 









'Kodak 


H 


Ml 


M 


M 















KODAK- 
THE NAME 
SAYS IT ALL. 



Take a Century of experience in coating 
products like photo film, add two brand- 
new state-of-the-art plants for manufactur- 
ing diskettes and you have something new: 
KODAK diskettes, a taste of the future. 

Kodak spends more than three million 
dollars a day in research and development. 
They have more than 120,000 employees 
and manufacture and market more than 
30,000 products. 

But George Eastman 
said it best: 

George Eastman, the founder of Eastman 
Kodak and the man who made it possible 
for everyone to have a family album ex- 
pressed Kodak's philosophy almost a cen- 
tury ago: make "good goods!" 

That's why we're so pleased to add 
KODAK diskettes to our line. 
Great quality, 
great value! 

For those of you who want a "brand 
name" diskette with top-of-the-line quali- 
ty... without paying through the nose, the 
choice is simple: KODAK. 

Of course, there's a 
LIFETIME WARRANTY! 

Except as noted, all KODAK diskettes are 
packed in boxes of ten with Tyvec sleeves, 
user ID labels and write-protect tabs. Bulk 
packed diskettes are labelled as KODAK 
diskettes and are packed in 4 bundles of 25 
diskettes with Tyvec sleeves, user ID labels 
and write-protect tabs. 

Qty. Qty. Qty. 
20-40 60+ 100 

5.25" SSDD.... $1.11 ea. $1.01 ea. 
5.25" DSDD.... $1.46 ea. $1.33 ea. 
5.25"DSDD-HD $3.47 ea. $3.15 ea. 

3.5" KODAK DISKETTES 
3. 50" SSDD... $2.06 ea. $1.87 ea. 
3.50" DSDD .... $2.73 ea. $2.48 ea. 
KODAK LABELLED 
BULK DISKETTES 

5.25" SSDD in package of 1 00 $ .93 

5.25" DSDD in package of 100 $1.24 



for orders only: information & 

1-800-621-6827 inquiries: 

(In Illinois: 1-312-256-7140) 1-312-256-7140 

HOURS: 8AM-5PM Central Time. Monday-Friday 

WE WILL BEAT ANY NATIONALLY ADVERTISED PRICE 

ON THE SAME PRODUCTS AND QUANTITIES! 

DISK WORLD!. Inc. 

629 Green Bay Road • Wilmette, Illinois 60091 



FANTASTIC LOW PRICES ON 

BASF 



Ltir»ni/: 



DISKETTES! 

LIFETIME WARRANTY! 



Buy in bulk and save. 150 to the carton with envelopes, write- 
protect tabs and user ID labels. Boxed product is the same, except 
in cardboard boxes of 10. 

Qty. 50 Qty. 150 

5.25" SSDD 83 ea. .80 ea. 

5.25" DSDD .94 ea. .92 ea. 

5.25" DSDD-HD 2.13 ea. N/A 

5.25"SSDD-96TPI .94 ea. N/A 

5.25' DSDD-96TPI 1.06 ea. N/A 

3.50SSDD-135TPI 1.84 ea. 1.68 ea. 

3.50DSDD-135TPI 2.40 ea. 2.28 ea. 

NOTE: 3.50" diskettes in Quantity 50 are packed in plastic 
library cases. That's why they seem to be a better buy. But there 
are only 5 diskettes to a case. . .so the bulk diskettes are really a 
better deal, unless you like expensive little library cases. 

for orders only: information & 

1-800-621-6827 inquiries: 

(In Illinois: 1-312-256-7140) 1-312-256-7140 
HOURS: 8AM-6PM Central Time, Monday-Friday 

WE WILL BEAT ANY NATIONALLY ADVERTISED PRICE 
ON THE SAME PRODUCTS AND QUANTITIES! 



DISK 
WORLD! 



Authorized Reseller 

Information Processing ■■ D ASF 



DISK WORLD! 

Ordering & Shipping 
Instructions 



Shipping: 5V & 3.5" DISKETTES— Add $3.00 per each 100 or 
fewer diskettes. Other Items; Add shipping charges as shown in 
addition to other shipping charges. Payment: VISA and MASTER- 
CARD accepted. COD Orders: Add additional $5.00Special Han- 
dling charge. APO, FPO, AK, HI & PR Orders: Include shipping 
charges as shown and additional 5% of total order amount to 
cover PAL and insurance. Taxes: Illinois residents only, add 7% 
sales tax. 

Prices subject to change without notice. 

This ad supercedes all other ads 
Not responsible for typographical errors. 

minimum total order: $35.00 

for orders only: information & 

1-800-621-6827 inquiries: 

(In Illinois: 1-312-256-7140) 1-312-256-7140 

HOURS: 8AM-6PM Central Time 

Monday-Friday 

WE WILL BEAT ANY NATIONALLY ADVERTISED PRICE 

ON THE SAME PRODUCTS AND QUANTITIES! 

DISK WORLD!. Inc. 

629 GreenBayRoad • Wilmette. Illinois 60091 



DISK 
WORLD! 



ATHANA 

DISKETTES 
The great unknown! 



UU Qty 50 sir dsdd- I *T Qt y- 50 

You've used these diskettes hundreds of 
times... as copy-protected originals on some of 
the most popular software packages. They're 
packed in poly-bags of 25 with Tyvek sleeves, 
reinforced hubs, user identification labels and 
write-protect tabs. 



L FET ME WARRANTY 



SOFT SECTOR ONLY! Sold in multiples 
of 50 only. 
for orders only: information & 

1-800-621-6827 inquiries: 

(In Illinois: 1-312-256-7140) 1-312-256-7140 
HOURS': 8 AM-6PM Central Time. Monday-Friday 
WE WILL BEAT ANY NATIONALLY ADVERTISED PRICE 
ON THE SAME PRODUCTS AND QUANTITIES! 
DISK WORLD!, Inc. 
629 Green Bay Road • Wilmette. Illinois 60091 



All 3M diskettes are factory packed in boxes of 10 and come 
with Tyvec sleeves, user ID labels and write-protect tabs. 



5.25" SSDD 

5.25" DSDD 

5.25" SSDD-96TPI 

5.25" DSDD 

5.25" DSDD-HD 

3.50" SSDD 

3.50" DSDD 



3M DATA CARTRIDGES 

(Sold 10 to a carton only.) 

(Add 55.00 shipping charges for cartridges') 

DC1000 $12.43 ea. 

DC300XLP $19.09 ea. 

DC600A $20.30 ea. 



Qty. 20-40 


Qty. 50+ 


S1.20 ea. 


S1.09 ea 


$1.70 ea. 


S1.54 ea 


$2.18 ea. 


51.98 ea 


$2.73 ea. 


S2.48 ea 


$3.45 ea. 


S3.14ea 


$2.18 ea. 


S1.98 ea 


S3.09 ea. 


S2.81 ea 



DISK 
WORLD! 



Authortzsd Distributor 
Information Processing 
Products 



PRINTER 
RIBBONS: 



at 

extraordinary 
prices! 

Brand new ribbons, manufactured to Original Equipment 
Manufacturer's specifications, in housings. (Not re-inked or 
spools only.) 

LIFETIME WARRANTY! 

Epson MX-70/80 . . $2.70 ea. + 25c Shpng. 

Epson MX-100 . . . $4.08 ea. + 25C Shpng. 

Okidata Micro83. . $1.37 ea. + 25C Shpng. 

Okidata Micro84 . . $2.98 ea. + 250 Shpng. 

for orders only: information & 

1-800-621-6827 inquiries: 

(In Illinois: 1-312-256-7140) 1-312-256-7140 

HOURS: 8AM-6PM CentralTime. Monday-Friday 

WE WILL BEAT ANY NATIONALLY ADVERTISED PRICE 

ON THE SAME PRODUCTS AND QUANTITIES! 

DISK WORLD!, Inc. 

629 Green BayRoad • Wilmette, Illinois 60091 



DISK 
WORLD! 



DISKETTE 
STORAGE CASES 



AMARAY MEDIA-MATE 50: A REVOLUTION 
^^ IN DISKETTE STORAGE 

^P^. ^ Every once in a while, someone takes the 

^Hm+* s«mple and makes it elegant' This unit holds 

^^ ■ 50 5'A" diskettes, has grooves for easy 

.._r stacking, inside nipples to keep diskettes 

from slipping and severa' other features. We 

like it! CO £0 + $2.00 

^J.Uj ea. Shpng. 
DISKETTE 70 STORAGE: STILL A GREAT BUY. 

S^^gf Oust-free storage for 70 5'A" diskettes. 
:^BH. Six dividers included. An excellent value. 
*C * VDISK CADDIES $9-95 Shpng 



DISK CADDIES 

The original flip-up holder for 10 5 1 /<" 
"diskettes. Beige or grey only. J ■< CC 

+ 20C Shpng 

for orders only: information & 

1-800-621-6827 inquiries: 

(In Illinois: 1-312-256-7140) 1-312-256-7140 

HOURS: 8AM-6PM Central Time. Monday-Friday 

WE WILL BEAT ANY NATIONALLY ADVERTISED PRICE 

ON THE SAME PRODUCTS AND QUANTITIES! 

DISK WORLD!, Inc. 

629 Green Bay Road • Wilmette. Illinois 60091 



DISK 
WORLD! 



ATHANA 
Authorized Distributor MAGNETIC 
MEDIA 



DISK 
WORLD! 



The value leader in 
Computersupptles 
And accessories. 



442 B YTE • JANUARY 1986 



Inquiry 1 09 



What the world really needs 

is a 69 cent 

Double Sided, Double Density Diskette 

with a LIFETIME WARRANTY! 

And DISK WORLD! has it. 



Introducing Super Star Diskettes: 

the high quality diskette with 

the lowest price 

and the best LIFETIME WARRANTY! 



In the course of selling more than a million diskettes 
every month, we've learned something: higher prices don't 
necessarily mean higher quality. 

In fact, we've found that a good diskette manufacturer 
simply manufactures a good diskette... no matter what 
they charge for it. (By way of example, consider that none 
of the brands that we carry has a return rate of greater than 
1/1, 000th of 1 percent!) 

In other words, when people buy a more expensive 
diskette, they aren't necessarily buying higher quality. 

The extra money might be going toward flashier adver- 
tising, snazzier packaging or simply higher profits. 

But the extra money in a higher price isn't buying better 
quality. 

All of the good manufacturers put out a good diskette. 

Period. 

How to cut diskette prices 
...without cutting quality. 

Now this discovery posed a dilemma: how to cut the 
price of diskettes without lowering the quality. 

There are about 85 companies claiming to be "diskette" 
manufacturers. 

Trouble is, most of them aren't manufacturers. 

Rather they are fabricators or marketers, taking other 
company's components, possibly doing one or more steps 
of the processing themselves and pasting their labels on 
the finished product. 

The new IBM diskettes, for example, are one of these. 
SoarelBM 5 1 /4" diskettes. Same forDYSAN.Polaroidand 
many, many other familiar diskette brand names. Each of 
these diskettes is manufactured in whole or in part by 
another company! 

So, we decided to act just like the big guys. That's how 
we would cut diskette prices... without lowering the 
quality. 

We would go out and find smaller companies to manu- 
facture a diskette to our specifications... specifications 
which are higher than most. ..and simply create our own 
"name brand" diskette. 

Name brand diskettes that offered high quality at low 
prices. 



FRAUD ALERT! 



Please be careful! 

Alotof the "no-name" diskettes flooding the 
market at prices of lessthan $1.00 are whatwe 
in the industry call "floor sweepings." 

In other words, they're garbage. . .stuff that 
six months ago, no self-respecting manufac- 
turer would have sold. 

But times got tough and some people's 
scruples got a little lost indesperation. . .and so 
a lot of computer usersare getting some really 
bad disks. . .and that isn't bargain at all. 

So, when the price seems too good to be 
Jrue. . like 39 cents, be careful... very careful! 



HOURS: 
Human: 8AM-6PM Central Time, Monday through Friday 




Super Star diskettes are sold in multiples of 50 only. Diskettes are 
shipped with white Tyvec sleeves, reinforced hubs, user ID labels 
and write-protect tabs. 

Boy, did we get lucky. Our Super Star 

Diskettes are the same ones you've been 

using for years. . .without knowing it. 

In our search for the low priced, high quality diskette of 
our dreams, we found something even more interesting/ 

We found that there are several manufacturers who 
don't give a hoot about the consumer market for their 
diskettes. They don't spend millions of dollars in advertis- 
ing trying to get you, the computer user, to use their 
diskettes. 

Instead, they concentrate their efforts on turning out the 
highest quality diskettes they can... because they sell 
them tothe software publishers, computer manufacturers 
and other folks who (in turn) put their name on them . . .and 
sell them for much higher prices to you! 

After all, when a software publisher or computer manu- 
facturer or diskette marketer puts their name on a diskette, 
they want it to work time after time, everytime. (Especially 
software publishers who have the nasty habit of copy- 
protecting their originals') 



HOW TO ORDER: 



ORDERS ONLY: 

1-800-621-6827 

(In Illinois: 1-312-256-7140) 

INQUIRIES: 

1-312-256-7140 

FOR FASTEST SERVICE, USE NO-COST MCI MAIL: 

Our address is DISKORDER. It's a FREE MCI MAIL 

letter. No charge to you. (Situation permitting, we'll 

ship these orders in 24 hours or less.) 

SHIPPING: 5'A" & Vh" DISKETTES— Add $3.00 per each 
100 or fewer diskettes. OTHER ITEMS: Add shipping charges 
as shown in addition to other shipping charges. PAYMENT: 
VISA, MASTERCARD and Prepaid orders accepted. COO 0R- 
OERS: Add additional $5.00 special handling charge. APO, 
FPO, AK, HI & PR ORDERS: Include shipping charges as 
shown and additional 5% of total order amount to cover PAL 
and insurance. We ship only to United States addresses, except 
for those listed above. TAXES: Illinois residents, add 7% 
sales tax. 

MINIMUM ORDER: $35.00. 



DISK WORLD!, INC. 



Super Star Diskettes. You already know 

how good they are. Now you can buy 

them... cheap. 

Well, that's the story. 

Super Star diskettes don't roll off the boat from Pago- 
Pago or emerge from a basement plant just east of 
Nowhere. 

Super Star diskettes have been around for years. . .and 
you've used them for years as copy-protected software 
originals, unprotected originals. Sometimes, depending 
on which computer you own, the system master may have 
been on a Super Star diskette. And maybe more than once, 
you've bought a box or two or more of Super Star diskettes 
without knowing it. They just had some "big" company's 
name on them. 

Super Star Diskettes are good. So good that a lot of 
major software publishers, computer manufacturers and 
other diskette marketers buy them in the tens or hundreds 
of thousands. 

We buy them in the millions. 

And than we sell them to you. 

Cheap. 

When every little bit counts, 
it's Super Star Diskettes. 

You've used them a hundred times... under different 
names. 

Now, you can buytherealMcCoy, the samediskette that 
major software publishers, computer manufacturers and 
diskette marketers buy... and call their own. 

We simply charge less. 



Super Special! 



Store 75 diskettes for only $5.95! 

Yep. that's right: order 50 
Super Stardiskettes.addS5.95 
and we'll include a Media Prod- 
ucts DISK MINDER II. ..a well 
made unit thatwe're impressed 
with. 

It holds 75 diskettes 
securely and looks nice too! 



The Super Star 
LIFETIME WARRANTY! 



Super Star Diskettes are unconditionally warranted 
against defects in original material and workmanship 
so long as owned by the original purchaser. Returns 
are simple: just send the defective diskettes with proof 
of purchase, postage-paid by you with a short expla- 
nation of the problem, and we'll send you the replace- 
ments. (Incidentally, coffee stained diskettes and 
diskettes with staples driven through them don't 
qualify as "defective".) 



WE WILL MEET OR BEAT ANY NATIONALLY 

ADVERTISED PRICE 

ON THE SAME PRODUCTS AND QUANTITIES 

SUBJECT TO THE SAME TERMS AND CONDITIONS. 



629 Green Bay Road 
Wilmette, Illinois 60091 




Inquiry 109 



JANUARY 1 986 • BYTE 443 






TM ESTABLISHED 1977 



ORDERS 800-528-3136 

TECH. SALES/CUST. SERVICE 602-991-7870 
TELEX 165025 FTCC SEC PHX 



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Computer Systems 



VIASYN 816/286-H40 W/256K 
SPUZ & .5MDrv/H. $$SPECIAL... 
TOO LOW TO ADVERTISE!!! 

VIASYN 816/C2 w/80286, 512K RAM, SPUZ-256, 40Mb 
H.D., 10Mb Tape, 5Vi" 96TPI FLPY. CDOS 816/286, 

NewWord & Supercalc II REDUCEDII $6,779 

VIASYN CORE SYSTEM w/256K RAM, l/F-4, Syst. 
Supp. 1, ENCL. 2D, Disk 1A, Disk 3.5'A"FLPY, & 10Mb 
H.D. Add Your Choice of CPU & Oper. Sys. . . . $3,949 

VIASYN 816/10-H40 w/Tape & 1Mb MDrv $6,377 

CALI/FOR OTHER SYSTEM CONFIGURATIONS 
MORROW PIVOT II Portable CALL 




data 
systems 



PC COMPATIBLE & FASTER TOO! 

ZENITH Z-15B PC-DESK TOP SYSTEM: 256K RAM. 2 
DSDD FLPY DRIVES, Serial. Paral. Monochrome & 
Color Composites RGB Colo/ Ports, & MS-DOSw/4.77 
& 8 MHZ CPU Clock Rates. G or A Monitor . . . $1,895 

Z158 Wl 2 FLPY & 20Mb H.D. DRVS $2,459 

Z158 Wl 2 FLPY & 40Mb H.D. DRVS $2,798 

Vi HT 10Mb TAPE OPTION ..... ...-;. $425 

Z-148 PC W/256K, 2 FLPYS, MS-DOS, 4.77 & 8MH2, 

Serial & Parallel Ports. Amber Monitor $1,219 

Z-138 PCTRANSPORTABLE 24 Lbs.320K. Dual FLPYS. 
7" Amber Screen, MS-DOS. 4.77 & 8MHz. Serial & 

Parallel Ports , $1,499 

Z-171 Lap-Top Portable, Dual Drvs.. 640K, MS-DOS 
Battery. Padded Carrying Case. Video RGB & CMPST., 
Hayes Compatible 300/1200 Baud Modem $2,739 



S AATARf 




"JACKINTOSCH 

520 ST 
FREE PRINTER! 



COLOR SYSTEM 32/16 BIT 68000 CPU. 512K RAM, 
500K DRIVE. 4 COLOR GRAPHICS 640X200 RES., 
MENU DU MOUSE. TOS, BASICS LOGO SOFTWARE. 
MUSIC GENERATOR, PARA.. SERIAL & JOYSTICK 
PORTS, CLOCK & TERMINAL EMULATOR $999.95 
JACKINTOSCH 520ST Monochrome 640x400 $799.95 
ATARI COMMUNICATIONS PACKAGE BY S-100: 
PROMETHEUS 1200 MODEM, CABLE, & CHAT 
SOFTWARE RETAILS FOR $545, NOW $329 

Diagnostic-Keyboards-Voice 

DATACOM TRI-STA TE RS232 V.24 Break-out Box$189 

DYSAN DISK DRIVE INTERROGATOR $115 

DYSAN ODD Digital Diagnostic Disk . SS $30,DS $40 
DYSAN AAD Analog Alignment Disk.. SS $25,DS $50 
RID DYMEK FLPY DRV. DIAGNOSTIC DISKETTE $29 

FLUKE 77 DVM with Holster $129 

KEYTRONICS 5750/5 151/5153 $169/$179/$299 

VOTRAX PERSONAL SPEECH S YSTEM $295 

Floppy Disk Drives 

MITSUBISHI 2B94 STD / 2896 V? HT 8" .... $395/$369 
MITSUBISHI 4853 I TEAC FD55F 96TPI .... $119/$99 

TANDON TM 100-2A $115 

TEAC FD55B & MITSUBISHI 4851 48 TPI $88 



Computer Accessories 

CA P75 Expandable 5 Circuit Monitor Base with Modem 

Protection & Surge/Noise $99 

CA P150.P151.P152.P15 with ABC Data Switch . . $209 
CA C1-6 6' IBM-Paral. CBL ...(1-9) $9.50, (10+) $8.80 
CA C1-9 9' IBM-Paral. CBL (1-9) $11.95, (10+) $11.00 
CA C200 SERIES Premium Molded RS232 Cables .... , 

(1-9) $18.98 TO $28.47, (10+) $11.86 TO $27.05 

CA C300 SERIES Premium Molded Parallel Cables ... 

(1-9) $19.98 TO $45.57, (10+) $18.98 TO $43.29 

CA C400 VIDEO CABLES 

(1-9) $2.48 TO $21.29, (10+) $2.36 TO $18.10 

CA C500 SERIES Cable Extender Packs w/ MON. PWR, 
VIDEO & KEYBD. CBLS ... (1-9) $29.98, (10+) $28.48 
CA S4 4 Circuit Surge Supp.(1-9) $26.47, (10+)$25.15 

CA S6 6 Circuits Surge & Cable Storage 

(1-9) $31.77, (10+) $30.18 

Monitor Tilt & Swivel Stand (1-9) $12.95, (10+) $10.95 

Hard Disk/Tape Subsystems 

AT-INSIDER. PC-INSIDER. PC-OUTSIDER HARD 
DISK SERIES FOR IBM. BOOTS FROM HARD DISK, 
FORMATTED Wl CONTROLLER & ALL NECESSARY 
CABLES. HARDWARE & P/S or PC STYLE CABINET. 

PC-INSIDER-33 33Mb Formatted $929 

PC-OUTSIDER-33 W/T 33Mb & 10Mb Tape . . . $1,599 

PC-INSIDER-72 72Mb Formatted $2,385 

PC-OUTSIDER-72 W/T 72Mb & 60Mb Tape . . . $3,166 

PC-INSIDER-116 116Mb Formatted $4,175 

PC-OUTSIDER-116 W/T 116Mb & 60Mb Tape . $5,415 

AT-INSIDER-33 33Mb Formatted $995 

AT-INSIDER-66 66Mb Formatted $1,649 

AT-INSIDER-f20 120Mb Formatted $3,895 

TECMAR QIC60 TAPE For PC"S $1,299 

TECMAR QIC60 HOST l/F Board $109 

WANGTEK PC-36 60Mb TAPE Internal Same As 

TECMAR $1,199 

CALL For DLR &/or QTY. PRICES on HARD DISKS: 
OUflflTUm 0540 40Mb REDUCEDII $1,138 

Mitsubishi Mspgor Seagate 

MICROPOLIS MiniScribc Amcodyne 

S-100 BUS SYBSYSTEMS Supporting Turbodos. 
Concur. Dos. CP/M 80 & 816 Operating SystemsCALL 

DRIVE SYBSYSTEMS FOR COMPUPRO: 

w/ DISK 3. CABINET P/S, FAN CABLES, ETC 

•20Mb EPSON, SEAGATE. ETC $1,139 

•37Mb QUANTUM O540 $1,825 

•45Mb MICROPOLIS 1304 $2,179 

• 72Mb XT-1085 or 1325 $2,295 

•89Mb MAXTOR XT-1 105 $3,695 

• 1 16Mb MAXTOR XT-1140 $4,395 

10Mb TAPE (CompuPro or PC) INT/EXT. . . $498/$598 

ALLOY PC-BACKUP 17.7Mb TAPE $1,729 

ALLOY PC-QICTAPE Up to 69Mb $1,799 

ALLOY PC-9TRACK 42Mb $4,995 

ALLOY ITS-100+ 9TRACK 42Mb/S-100 $4,995 

ALLOY IDXCS-100T 17.7Mb Tape Subsystem . $1,719 

Mainframe & Drive Enclosures 

ECT RM-10 Rack Card Cage 10 Slot-15A $250 

ECT 77-70 Desk 10 Slot - 15 AMP $365 

FULCRUM 880 with Front Panel & 20 Slots $565 

INTEGRAND 2200Aw/4 Slots & 2 X 8" VzHT FLPYS349 
INTEGRAND 2270 w/4 Slots & 5*/<" FLPY + H.D. . $315 
INTEGRAND Laser Turbo 10 Slots. 2 H.D. 5'/<" . . $498 

PARA DYNAMICS 3020D 20 Slot Desk $639 

INTEGRAND 2909 2X8" V? HT Horiz. Stack $189 

JMR 7H5 5V*" H.D. PC Style Cabinet $189 

JMR 2SV8 Dual Vertical ^ HT. 8" $175 

JMR 2H5 Dual 5'/«" Horizontal H.D $225 

MPS 8462 Dual Horizontal 8" Slimline $215 

MPS 8465 Dual 5" & 8" Horizontal Slimline $225 

MPS 5500 5V'«" STD. HT. H.D. & Vz HT. Drive .... $225 

MPS 5505 5V'«" H.D. & V? HT Flpy or Tape $209 

MPS 5407 5V«" STD HT H.D. or Dual Vp HT $215 

MICROWARE SINGLE STD. 5'A" Flpy Horizontal . $59 
MICROWARE DUAL HORIZ. 5V«" V? HT. Floppy . . $79 
MICROWARE 920004 Dual STD. 5'/«. PC-Style... $149 
PARA DYNAMICS 2300-G3 2X8" Flpy & 5 H.D. . . $395 



Chips 



We Have Some of the LOWEST PRICES in the Nation!! 
64K, 256K, 8087 & 80287 CALL 



Power Solutions 

PC/XT REPLACEMENT P/S 130/150 WATT . . $89/$99 

SAFT SPS 400V A 400 WATT & SINE WAVE $475 

SAFT SPS1000VA 1000 WATT/SINE WAVE . . . $1,091 

SOLA 750/4500 WA TT HI-INRUSH UPS $1,89? 

TRIPPLITE ISOBAR Line Suppressor-Filters from $3E 
TRIPPLITE BC-425-FC 425 Watts 15-20 Minutes. $398 

TRIPPLITE BC-1000 Watts 20-30 Minutes $925 

TRIPPLITE LC-1800 Conditioner/Stabilizer $215 

TRIPPLITE COMMAND CONSOLE CCI 8-12 ... . $110 



PC & AT Multifunction/Slave Bds. 

We Have a Good Selection of Multifunction and Memory 
Boards for PC. XT. AT, JR, AT & T. and PC Portables 
INTEL ABOVE BOARD AT 128K-4Mb w/Expanded 
Mem. SW to allow CPU to Address all Avail. Mem. $459 
LASER DISK I/O FLPY CTRL, S.P & G Ports. CLK-CAL, 

Ram-Disk & Print Spool. MS-DOS $195 

MACROTECH MSR-AT 3Mb PC/AT. 120nSEC .. $929 

STB BIG BYTE 64K $122 

STB GRANDE BYTE 128K $225 

STB RIO PLUS II 64K-512K, S.P, Clock $216 

STB RIO GRANDE PC-AT 128K.-1.5Mb. 2S.P&G $319 
TECMAR CAPTAIN UNPOP w/Treasure Chest . . $157 
TECMAR EXPANSION CHASSIS With 8 Slots . . . $675 
TECMAR MAESTRO Unpopulated for IBM-AT .. $325 

TECMAR MAESTRO For PC/AT 2.5Mb $775 

TECMAR WAVE 64K to 256K Fits XT Short Slot . $17£ 
ADVANCED DIGITAL PC-SLAVE w/256K. 8MHz 808£ 
CPU.2 S Ports. RTNX S/W-For Multi-User P.C. . . $695 
ADVANCED DIGITAL PC-SLAVE PACKAGE with Link 

125 Terminal $99S 

ALLOY PC-SLAVE 16 256K to 768K RAM $75S 

PC Scientific/Industrial Boards 

IND. COMP. DESIGNS 7000 w/96TTL I/O Ports . $37$ 
TECMAR BASE BOARD 96 Digital I/O Lines . . . CALL 
TECMAR 9AVI0 D to A Up to 24 Devices ..... CALl 

TECMAR I EEE-488 Board * CALL 

TECMAR LABM ASTER CALL 

TECMAR EXPANSION CHASSIS 12AMP P/S. Dual AC 
Outlets. 7 Useable Slots. Space for Hard Disk . . . $67£ 

Video/Graphics & Cad 

STB MONO PLUS II V 7. ....... $16' 

STB CHAUFFEUR RGB Port/16Grey Shades Produce< 
on Monochrome TTL Monitor Without Video 

Drivers $271 

STB GRAPHICS PLUS II w/ Paral. PRT Port .... $24< 

STB SUPER RES 400 Color Hi-Res w/ 32K $32! 

TECMAR GRAPHICS MASTER 16 Color Hi-Res. $43! 
TECMAR GRAPHICS TENDER RGB/PRT Port .. $19; 
CSD-PC AUTOCAD 2 PACKAGE: 1024X102* 
Monochrome Graphics • 15" 1100X1250 Res. . $3,14! 
ILLUMINATED TECHNOLOGIES AUTOCAL 
PACKAGE: 8 Color 1024X1024 S-100 Board • Insidi 
Autocad Handbook • Autocad 2 • Mitsubishi 19 
1024X874 RGB Analog Color Monitor • Hitachi Tige 

11"X11" Tablet with 12 Button Cursor $4,99! 

STB SUPER-RES PKG: Board & 13" CM-1370 Monito 
w/ 16 Colors, 720X400 @ 31.5KHz Scan Rate. . . . $74< 
TECMAR SUPER-RES PKG: Board & 13" ZVM-13f 

Monitor with 16 Colors @ 640X400 $92! 

VECTRIX VXPCA 4096 Colors Close-Out$1,89! 

VECTRIX VXIPC Video Cable $7! 

Monitors & Terminals 

AMDEK 300G $12! 

PRINCETON GRAPHICS Sfl-72 690X480 RGB .. $59! 
TATUNG CM-1322 640X200 RGB Same as IBM . $37! 
TATUNG CM-1360 LIKE 1322 with G-A Switch . . $41! 
TATUNG CM-1370 720X480 RGB w/GRN Switch. Lont 
Persist Phos. Works w/ STBs SUPER RES 400 . . $46! 
TATUNG DM-12VL A&G 12" Monochrome . $125/$11* 
TATUNG MM-1222G/A Hi-Res 12" TTL (IBM)$119/12! 

TAXAN MONITORS Call for Low Price 

TECMAR ZVM-136 640X480 RGB 13', Grn Switch$49» 

ZENITH ZVM122A AMB or ZVM123A GRN $7! 

ZENITH ZVM123A (Green)/722A (Amber).... $85/$8- 
ZENITH ZVM135 Hi-RES RGB w/ Green Switch . $45 

KIMTRON KT-7 14" Green $49- 

LIBERTY FREEDOM TERMINALS CALl 

LINK 725 Wyse 50 Compat. 14" GRN or AMB w/Highe 
RES.. More Emul'S. Selectric KB.. 6 Scroll Rates $42 
LINK 725 PC w/PC Emulating Video & Keybd . . CAL 




S-100 DIV./696 CORP. 

14455 NORTH 79th ST. 

SCOTTSDALE, AZ 85260 

Inquiry 3I3 for End-Users. Inquiry 3I4 for DEALERS ONLY. 



FULL DEALER SUPPOR1 
VISIT OUR SHOWROOM 

HRS: 8:00AM — 5:00PM M-F 



WORLDS LARGEST SELECTION 
OF PC & S-100 PRODUCTS 




S-100 Bus BDS & Accessories 

1 1 you purchased before calling us. you probably paid 
too much! We stock ACKERMAN DIGITAL, ADVANCED 
DIGITAL, CCS, VIASYN, CROMEMCO, DUAL, 
ELECTROLOGICS, INTERCONTINENTAL MICRO, 
KONAN, MULLEN, PICKLES & TROUT, INDUSTRIAL 
COMPUTER DESIGNS, TARBELL, TECMAR, 

TRANSEND, VECTOR ELECTRONICS 

A Few Of This Months SPECIALS Are: .............. 

ACKERMAN MEMORIZER 64K RAM & EPROM . $211 

ACKERMAN KLUGE CARD A&T $175 

ACKERMAN PROMBLASTER II Up to 27256KS . $306 
ACKERMAN PROMBLASTER EXTENDER .... $79.95 
SPECTRONICS PE24T/9 EPROM ERASER/TIMER 146 
ADV. DIGITAL SUPER 186/256K MASTER .... $1,495 

CCS 2422 Dual Floppy CTRL With CP/M $350 

CCS 2710 4 Port Serial Board $275 

CCS 2720 4 Port Parallel Board $215 

CCS 2810 Z80 CPU with Serial Port $235 

COMPUPRO/VIASYN RAM 16 64K STATIC $175 

COMPUPRO/VIASYN RAM 22 256K STATIC .... $446 
COMPUPRO/VIASYN RAM 23 128K STATIC .... $219 

COMPUPRO MDRIVE/H-10-1Mb for 816/10 $595 

COMPUPRO PC-VIDEO BOARD $369 

COMPUPRO DISK 1A 5" & 8" Floppy CTRL $369 

COMPUPRO Disk 3 ST506 5" H. D.C $445 

COMPUPRO SYSTEM SUPPORT 1 w/ CLK-CAL $263 

COMPUPRO MOTHER BOARD 21 Slot $222 

COMPUPRO CPU 8085/88 6 & 10 MHz $263 

COMPUPRO CPU 8086 - 10M Hz $297 

COMPUPRO CPU 68K - 10M Hz $319 

COMPUPRO CPU 286 - 8MHz $672 

CROMEMCO XPLMOM Hz 68000 CPU $1,270 

CROMEMCO DPU 68000/Z-80 Dual CPU $675 

CROMEMCO SCC Z-80 Single BD. Computer... $420 

CROMEMCO 8PI0 8 Port Parallel $293 

CROMEMCO D+7A 8 Channel 8 Bit D/A $293 

CROMEMCO BIART Dual Sync/Async $675 

CROMEMCO 64FDC 5"&8" Floppy CTRL $505 

DUAL AIM-12 A/D Input 12,Bit/32 Channel $629 

DUAL AOM-12 D/A OutpuM2 Bit/4 Channel .... $540 
DUAL WDC Winchester DMA 2 BD. Set SA-4000 $840 

ICM MASTER & SLAVE BOARDS CALL 

INDUSTRIAL COMPUTER DESIGNS: 

•D/A 64-100 64 Analog Outputs $298 

•A/D 64-100 64 Analog Inputs $225 

•CCT-100 Highly Accurate Time & Dat^e Controller with 

Battery Back-Up . , , . $249 

KONAN DGC-100 ST 506 5V* H.D. Controller. . . . $325 

KONAN SMC-200 SMD 8" Controller $450 

MACROTECH I/RA/W512K Static with Battery Back-Up 

and MDrive/H Capability $769 

MACROTECH MI-286 80286/Z80H Dual Proc. . . . $699 

MACROTECH MSR-II 1Mb Dynamic Ram $825 

MACROTECH MSR-II 2Mb Dynamic Ram $999 

MULLEN TB4A EXTENDER BD. w/Logic Probe . . $69 
MULLEN /CB70 8 Channel Low Voltage Controller$165 
PICKLES & TROUT P&T488 IEEE 488 BD & S.W. $429 
VECTOR RAM 17 64K Static Ram (VIASYN) Excellent 

with Z80 CPUS $299 

VECTOR INTERFACER I Dual Serial (VIASYN).. $199 
VECTOR INTERFACER II 3 Para.. 1 Serial $219 

S.D. SYSTEMS CLOSE-OUT!!!!!! 

•RAMDISK 256K $495 

•EXPANDORAM-4 256K with Parity $595 

•VFW-3 Floppy & H.D.C $475 

•CP/M 3.0 UNBANKED $95 

TRANSEND CLOSE-OUT!!!!!! 

•I/O 5 2 Serial, 3 Parallel $195 

•EP128 128K Eprom Reader $169 

•PB1 2708. 2716 Eprom Programmer $99 

•VB2 Kit I/O Mapped Video Board $99 

•MB64 64K Static Ram Board $449 



Diskettes & Cartridges 

3M TAPES 300XL&600A/1000A In Stock . $29795/19.95 

DYSAN 3.5" SSDD $29.39 

DYSAN 3.5" DSDD $35.00 

DYSAN 5'//' DSDD $24.95 

DYSAN 5'//' SSDD $22.95 

DYSAN 3740/20 8" DSDD $31 

DYSAN HARD DISK CARTRIDGES 8" $150 

DYSAN 5»/«" DSDD I UHI-96TPI IBM-AT $28/$59 

FUJI 5'//' SSDD I 5'h" DSDD $15/$19 

FUJI FD2D-1024 8" DSDD $29.95 



Printers, Plotters & Buffers 

BROTHER HR-15-XL 17CPS Daisywheel S or P . $377 
BROTHER HR-10 12CPS Daisy w/ TRAC.. S&P . $249 
BROTHER TwinRiterb Dot Matrix & Daisywheel $859 
BROTHER 2024L 24 Pin Hi-Res Print&Graphics . $869 ' 

BROTHER M-1509 180/45 NLQ, P&S l/F $295 

BROTHER M1009 EPSON Compatible Plug & Play$149 
BROTHER HR-5 Plain-Paper Thermal Portable . . $159 

CITIZEN MSP-10 160/40 NLQ 80/132 $275 

CITIZEN MSP-15 160/40 CPS 15" Low Profile . . . $409 

CITIZEN MSP-20 200/50 NLQ 80/132 $349 

CITIZEN MSP-25 200/50 CPS 15" ULTRA QUIET $569 
EPSON LQ-1500 Cut-Sheet Feeder, Single Bin .. $309 

SIEMENS PT-88 80 Column Ink Jet $595 

STAR SG10/15 120 DATA/30 NLQ $239/$409 

STAR SD10/15 160 DATA/40 NLQ $369/$495 

STAR SR10/15 200 DATA/50 NLQ $535/$659 

TEXAS INSTRUMENTS 800 SERIES CALL 

HOUSTON INST. PLOTTERS & DIGITIZERS .. CALL 
DITRON 64K PC/XT CARD BUFFER w/PRT Port(LPT 1 
or 2 or 3) 100% PC&AT Resident S/W Utilities... $135 
HANZON 12315 64K-256K INTELLIGENT BUFFER 
SER.-SER., SER.-PAR., PAR.-SER., PAR. -PAR. 
Computer to Printer Combinations Possible. So easy to 
use - instructions printed on bottom of cabinet . . $259 

HANZON ADD-IN MODULE 64K RAM $49 

JOHNATHAN FREEMAN DESIGNS UNIVERSAL PRT 

BUFFER S&P In & S&P Out, 64K/256K $189/$249 

OKIDATA 182 80 Column 120 DATA/ 60 NLQ . . . $222 
PRACT. PERIPH. APPLE GRAPHICARD & CBL. . $70 
PRACTICAL PERIPH. APPLE SERIAL BOARD .. $112 

PRACTICAL PERIPH APPLE PRINTERFACE $55 

VIA WEST VSP-32 Paral-Serial Converter $62 

Networking & Switch Boxes 

INTERCONT. MICRO SYS. LAN-PC w/o RAM. . . $469 

INTERCONT. MICRO SYSTEMS LANS-100 $359 

COMPUPRO/VIASYN NET 1 1 For 816/10 Sys.. . . $425 
COMPUPRO/VIASYN NET 101-96 For S-100 Bus $425 
GILTRONIX MANUAL and AUTOMATIC 
SWITCHING ftNITS to Fit all of your SHARED 
PRINTER, TERMINAL, MODEM & other Peripheral 
Needs. These Units In Stock: 

5100 8 Wire A-B Serial ,■„ CALL 

$110 8 Wire A-B-C Serial .'. CALL 

5200 24 Wire A-B Serial . . .7. . . CALL 

5210 24 Wire A-B-C Serial. CALL 

5211 24 Wire A-B-C W/ LED'S CALL 

5220 24 Wire A-8-C-D Serial CALL 

5230 24 Wire A-B-C-D-E Serial CALL 

5240 24 Wire A-B-C-D-E-F Serial CALL 

5400 CENTRONICS A-B CALL 

5410 CENTRONICS A-B-C CALL 

5500 IBM - PARALLEL A-B CALL 

5530 IBM - PARALLEL A-B-C-D-E CALL 

5540 IBM - PARALLEL A-B-C-D-E-F CALL 

8005 5 Porf Peripheral Shared Device to Connect 5 

Terminals/Computers to Printer CALL 

9301 3-Way Distributed Control Unit - RS232 For Use 
with Multiple Baud Rate Devices CALL 

Call For Prices & Configurations On Other Units 



Software • Software • Software 

We have Access to all Well Known Brands - ORDER 
CORRECTLY -- SOFTWARE IS NOT RETURNABLE! 

Word Proc./Screen Formatter 

MICROPRO CORRECT STAR I PC-DOS $95 

MICROPRO MAIL MERGE I CP/M-86 8" $75 

MICROPRO PROPAK $317 

NEW STAR NEWWORD 16 Bit with merge 

PRINT, THE WORD PLUS Spelling Checker - Easier 
than Word Star but File Compatible $99.95 

NEW STAR NEWWORD 8 bit with merge 

PRINT $79.95 

PFS WRITE $97 

OASIS THE WORD PLUS Spelling Checker $95 

OASIS PUNCTUA TION & STYLE $79 

MARK OF THE UNICORN THE FINAL WORD... $189 

COMPUVIEW VEDIT/VEDIT PLUS $115/$169 

COMPUVIEW VEDIT PLUS, V-PRINT & SPELL.. $298 
COMPUVIEW V-SPELL CP/M 80 8" & PC DOS ... $95 



Language And Tools 

BD SOFTWARE "C" Compiler 8" SS SD 8 BIT ... $95 

BORLAND PC TURBO PASCAL 3.0 $44 

BORLAND PC TURBO PASCAL 3.0 W/ 8087 $70 

COMPUTER INNOVATIONS C-86 "C" Compiler. $299 

DIGITAL RESEARCH Most Products 36% OFF 

ITHACA PASCAL Z CP/M80 8" $285 

LATTICE "C" Compiler $299 

MICROSOFT Complete Line 32% OFF 

SUPERSOFT FORTRAN PC/MSDOS $199 

DIGITAL RESEARCH COMPLETE LINE 36% OFF 

AMERICAN TRAINING INFL TUTORIALS .. 36% OFF 

BORLAND PC SIDEKICK (Unprotected) $54 

BORLAND PC SUPERKEY (Unprotected) $41 

BORLAND PC TURBO GRAPHIX TOOLBOX $35 

BORLAND PC TURBO TOOLBOX $35 

BORLAND PC TURBO TUTOR $22 

FOX rGELLER QUICKCODE For dBASE 2 $187 

FOX & GELLER dGRAPH For dBASE 2 $187 

FOX & GELLER dUTIL For dBASE 2 $63 

FOX & GELLER QUICK SCREEN For dBASE 2. . . $94 
FOX & GELLER PC GRAFOX BUS. GRAPHICS . $159 
FOX & GELLER PC QUICKREPORT III $187 

Data Bases & Spreadsheets 

ASHTON-TATEALL PRODUCTS 32% OFF 

DATAFLEX FILE/RECORD Locking Multi-User . CALL 

MDBS Knowledgeman CP/M86 8" $295 

MICROPRO REPORT STAR $119 

MICROPRO INFO STAR/16 Bit $239 

MICRORIM R: BASE 5000 $439 

PFS FILE I REPORT CALL 

SORCIM Supercalc-3 Better Than 1-2-3!!! $195 

Communications Programs 

MICROSTUF CROSS TALK XV! S125 

MYCROFT LABS MITE / MITE PLUS $135/$150 

WOOLF MOVE-IT PC-PC Communications $95 

Modems __ 

PROMETHEUS PROMODEM 1200 Hayes Compatible 
w/ Built-in PWR Supply-RS232 Stand Alone Unit $289 
OPTIONS FOR PROMODEM 1200 ARE; 
COMMUNICATIONS PROC. BUFFER 2K-512K. . . $99 

512K RAM for Communications Buffer $49 

ALPHA NUMERIC DISPLAY $75 

PROMETHEUS 1200A Apple II, II +. Me Card w/Terminal 

Software in ROM $279 

PROMETHEUS 300C Apple IIC Piggy Back $139 

PROMETHEUS 12Q0B For PC'S with Procom ... $249 
PROMETHEUS 1200M Stand Alone MAC Modem with 

Cable and Communications Software $348 

HAYES SMART MODEM 1200 RS-232 $439 

HAYES SMART MODEM 2400 Universal $659 

U.S. ROBOTICS PASSWORD 1200 $209 

U.S. ROBOTICS AUTO DIAL 212A $309 

U.S. ROBOTICS PC/XT MODEM with TELPAC. . $199 
U.S. ROBOTICS PC MULTI-MODEM with Clk-Cai., 

Batt. Back-up, PRT Port. 256K RAM Telpac $395 

U.S. ROBOTICS MULTILINK/COURIER 2400 $435 

Hobby Corner 

SOLD "AS IS WITH NO RETURNS 

AMPRO UTTLE BOARD" (The Original) $259 

APPLE II INTEGER BASIC CARD $59 

CROMEMCO ZPU $149 

DRI GSX-80 $39 

DRI PASCAL/MT+ $175 

ELECTROLOGICS QUASI-DISK 2/4Mb CP/M80 RAM 

DISK with Battery Back-Up $1,695/$3,095 

HEURISTICS SPEECH LAB For Speech Recognition95 
IMSAI PI06-6Kit 2 Sets of 24 PROG. I/O Lines . $149 

IMSAI MIO KIT (Assembled) 2 PAR & 1 SER $69 

MICROPRO CalcStar 1 .20 8" CP/M $79 

MICROPRO SuperSort 1.60 8" CP/M $140 

MORROW DJDMA-3A with Software $195 

MORROW HDCA-3 8 or 14" SA4008 H.D.C $195 

MORROW MPZ80 REV. 2 w/ Documentation .... $195 

NORTH STAR FLOA TING POINT BOARD $169 

NOVATION SMART CAT 212 $239 

PARA DYNAMICS 2508D Like 3510 w/ 8 Slots . . $395 
PRAGMATIC DESIGNS PD20MS 8" FUJITSU 20Mb 

H.D. Subsystem For CompuPro System $2,495 

PROTEUS ENGINEERING "WRITE" W.P. CP/M 8" $50 

S.D.S. MPU 100 Z80 CPU Kit $89 

S.D.S. E-PROM BOARD #27007 Kit $49 

SMS STATIC RAM 64K For N.S. Horiz., Etc $149 

TEI TFD-0 Cabinet For 3 STD SW FLY DRVS. . . $195 




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All merchandise new. Advertised prices are cash prepaid only. MC. Visa & P.O's from 
Wires. COD s ($5 min. fee) withCashiersCheck/MO & APO's accepted. Shipping: minimu 
RES ONLY add'6% sales tax. All returns subject to 20% restocking fee or credittowards future 
prices slightly higher. All prices subject to change without notice. 




I 1 ' I • 1 I 1 I I I I 1 I I 1 I I I I t I I I I 1 I 

OUR POLICY 

•Surcharge for VISA or Mastercard. 

•Volume purchasing agreements available. 

•Orders subject to availabiity. 'Supply limited on certain items. 

•Pricing subject to change without notice. 

•ACP Retail Store pricing may vary. Not responsible for typos. 



TOLL FREE 

800-854-8230 

CA Residents 71 4-558-881 3 



i i i i i i 



i i i i » 



CORPORAT E BU YERS 



StiS PRICE BREAKTHRU 




At these prices you would expect a 
Taiwan clone. We are offering the 
best IBM PC/XT® compatible 
available in the market today. Com- 
pare the features and you won't 
believe the price! 

ADVANCED PC/XT 



NEW $ 

LOW 

PRICE! 



750 



00 

BASE 
PRICE 



ACP has sold over 2,000 of this system 
to major customers including Rockwell 
Int'l, Hughes Aircraft and Emulex Corp. 
See for yourself why these customers 
prefer the Advanced XT over the IBM XT. 



(Photo of System 6) 

BASE PRICE INCLUDES: 

• (1) 360K DS/DD Floppy Disk 

• 256K RAM Expandable to 640K on 
the Motherboard (256K chips) 

• On Board Serial Port - FREE 

• On Board Parallel Port - FREE 

• On Board LCD Display Port - FREE 

• On Board RGB Output - FREE 

• On Board VideoComp. Out -FREE 

• Keyboard Output Port 

• (3) Expansion Slots 

• Quiet 100 Watt Power Supply 

• Ergonomic Design & Packaging 

• VLSI Circuit Design 

• 90 Day Warranty 

• UL Approved/FCC Approved 



UNBUNDLED ADVANCED PC/XT COMPONENT PRICING (ACP recommends using all Advanced Components in upgrading your PC) 



SYSTEM 1 
SYSTEM 2 


CPU w/(2) Floppys, Keyboard, Mouse, 
Mouse Software & Gm Mon w/TIt Swiv Base. 

Same as System 1 with RGB Color Monitor 
and Tilt Swivel Base 


$1150.00 
$1399.00 


SYSTEM 3 
SYSTEM 4 


CPU w/(1) Floppy, 10Mb Hard Disk, Controller, 
Keyboard, Mouse and Mouse Software 

Same as System 3 with 20Mb 


$1399.00 
$1699.00 


SYSTEM 5 
SYSTEM 6 


CPU w/(1) Floppy, 10Mb HD, Contr'l, Keyboard, 
Mouse w/Software & Grn Mon, w/flt/Swiv Base 

Same as System 5 with RGB Color Monitor 
and Tilt & Swivel base 


$1549.00 
$1799.00 


SYSTEM 7 
SYSTEM 8 


CPU w/(1) Floppy, 20Mb HD, Contr'l, Keyboard 
Mouse w/Software & Gm Mon w/TIt & Swiv Base 

Same as System 7 with RGB Color Monitor 
and Tilt and Swivel Base 


$1849.00 
$2099.00 



•CPU Base Unit $750.00 

•Keyboard w/Mouse & Software. . . . 149.95 

•RGB Color Mon w/TIt Swiv Base . . . 395.00 

•Gm Comp. Mon w/TIt Swiv Base.. 199.00 

•LCD 80 x 25 Display 299.00 

•Green Monochrome Monitor 149.00 

•Hi-res Text Mono Card 149.00 

•256K Upgrade (Installed) 59.95 

•8087-2 Co-processor 129.95 



•1200 Baud Modem Short Card, 

Hayes Compatible w/Software $179.95 

•6 Slot Expansion Chassis 399.00 

•10Mb (gray) Upgrade w/Contr'l. . . . 399.00 

•20Mb (gray) Upgrade w/Contr'l. . . . 599.00 

•360K (gray) DS/DD Floppy Disk. . . 129.00 

•PC DOS 2.1 65.00 

•PC Works 1.15 (Touchstone) 

Regular $195 49.95 



•GW Basic $75.00 

•GEM by Digital Research 29.95 

•Maintenance Manual 50.00 

•Technical Reference Manual 50.00 



SYSTEM SPECIALS 

•Sys 5 w/Diablo 620 Serial $1849.00 

•Sys 6 w/Diablo 620 Serial 2099.00 



DIABLO 620 DAISYWHEEL PRINTER 




The Finest Letter Quality 

Printer at a Spectacular Price. 

We have sold 1000's. You can 

have a spare at this price. 

620 Serial List 1495 ACP $395.00 

620 API List 1695 ACP 445.00 

620 D36 List 1695 ACP 495.00 

F-21 Sheet Feeder. List 895 ACP 249.00 

620 Tractor List 395 ACP 99.00 

Cable ACP 29.00 

Serial to Par. 16K Buffer. . . ACP 125.00 



ml 



xmwr 



IBM PC/XT® of IBM 





$599 



10 Mb CQQQ 20 Mb 
Upgrade $0%)%) Upgrade 

(1 Year Warranty) 

Qty. 1 Qty. 6 
SA712 10 Mb $229 $219 

ST225 20 Mb $369 $349 

Western Digital Cont $195 $175 



PC UPGRADE SPECIAL 

SET OF (9) 64K RAMS 



$y95 



$9£95 

AW SET OF (9) 256K RAMS 

$5.95 4128 PIGGYBACK RAM 



1200 Baud Hayes™ Comp. Modem 
Shor Card by U.S. Robotics with 
Telpac I Software. 
List $499 ACP.. $179.00 

Buy (6) $159.00 



\ 



20Mb Tape Back-up 



Archive, #1 in 

tape back-up 

technology. 

High speed 

20Mb back-up 

for only 

$899.00 




External Box w/Power Supply 

Great for adding Hard Disk to your PC. 
Same as photo $179.00 



DOT-MATRIX BLOW OUT 

DIABLO/HONEYWELL 



P-11 100cps, parallel 
S-11 100cps, serial 
P-31 100cps, par, wide 
S-31 100cps, ser, wide 
P-32 150cps, par, NLQ 



$129.95 
139.95 
249.95 
269.95 
299.95 



CANNON/USA 

PW-1080A 165cps, parallel $169.95 
PW-1156A 165cps, par, wide 199.95 



— — __— _ji 



IllillPSpii 



DID YOU GET OUR FLYER? 



IF NOT . . . 
CALL & GET ON 
OUR MAIL LIST 



UPS POWER SUPPLY 

Back Up Powar tor your IBM, 

Appla or Compatible 

UPS-PC 200 Waits 5277.00 

UPS-XT300 Wall* 419.00 

UPS.AT 800 Walls 739 00 

A-B PRINTER SWITCH 

An AB Switch allows use ot two printers with 
your computer system. We slockovar 15 dif- 
ferent configurations. 

AS Switch (Centronics) 559.00 

AB Swilctl (DB2S) 59.00 

COLOR VIDEO CARDS 

Plantronles Color Plus 5375.00 

IBM Color Card 227.00 

IBM Mono Card w/parallel 2 1 9.00 

STB Graphics Plus 369.00 

Paradise Mutlldisplay Card 345.00 

Everex Graphics Edge 345.00 



DRIVE CABINETS 

IBM Style Hard Disk with power 

supply and Ian 5179.00 

Dual Hard Disk w/power sup & iBn 295.00 

Dual SVi" Full Height vertical mount 65.00 

Dual SV," Full Height horizontal mounl 99.00 
Dual 5V." Thlnline w/power sup & Ian 60.00 
Single SV*" Full Height w/power sup & fan56.00 
Single 5*4" Thlnline w/power sup & len 60.00 



PERSYST CARDS 

Persysi MonoCombo - NEWI 533500 

Parsysl Color Combo - NEWI 335.00 

Persysi Bob Boarb 445.00 

Persysi Shorlpon Color Call 

Persysi Mini Mono Call 

Persysi +1 Time Spectrum W/64K 179.95 

Persysi 192K Rainbow DEC Card 149.95 



SPECIAL BUY 

Sharp 12" Color RGB Monitor 
List $499.00 ACP $249.95 



MODEM SPECIAL 

Hay** •maitmodam Compatible 

1200 S. External. Sold for «3»« 

$199.00 



INTERSIL STD BUS BOARDS 

LIST ACP 

5200 569.95 

69.95 



TRANSISTORS/DIODES 



1SB3100 
ISB3101 
ISB3110 
ISB3216 
ISB3216 



1SB3330 
1SB3331 
1SB3340 
ISB3400 
ISB3410 
ISB3500 
ISB3S10 
ISB3520 
ISB3521 



Z80CPU 
ZaOUniv. CPU 
6065 CPU 
16K CMOS RAM 
16K StaliC RAM 
16K CMOS HAM 
ZBO PIO (D mating) 
Universal PIO 
Opto Pera. Input 
Floppy Controller 
SASI (DMA) WINI Inter 



Dptol 






200 79.95 

610 99.95 

200 3995 

750 119.95 

210 4995 

210 49.95 

300 11995 

215 7995 

255 9995 

215 9995 

270 11995 

150 6995 

190 69.95 

375 149.95 

260 79.95 

245 69.95 
69.95 



SPST Relay 

OPDT Relay 
ISB3600 Arilhmelic 
ISB3610 EPflOM Programer 
ISB3700 Sync/Async 
ISB3711 Univ. Sync/Async 
ISB3720 REMDACS 315 14995 

ISB3630 12 Bil A/D 720 269.95 

CAPACITORS 

.OIuF DISC BYPASS CAPACITOR 100/SS.SO 

.1 uF DISC BYPASS CAPACITOR 100/6.50 

.01uF MONOLITHIC CAPACITOR 100/11.25 

.1 uF MONOLITHIC CAPACITOR 100/14.25 

CORCOM EMI FILTER 

STD CORCOM 3 Conductor Filter $4 SO 

Line Cord for above — 6 fool 1 49 

Line Cord 2 Conductor — 6 loot .35 

Line Cord 3 Conductor — 6 fool .95 



MUFFIN FANS 

Over 10,000 In Stock 

Torin 3" TA-300 Fan NEWt 59.95 

Torin 4.66" Mulfin Fan NEWI 12.95 

12VDCFan NEW! 14 95 

Finger Guards add 1 49 

Power Cords add 1-49 



IC SOCKETS 

SOLDERTAIL 1-99 100 

6 P.nST/LP 5 .13 5 .10 

14PinST/LP .15 .11 

16PinST/LP .17 .t2 

18PinST/LP .20 .17 

ZOPmSTJLP .28 26 

22PinST/LP .29 .27 

24 Pin ST/LP .29 .27 

26 Pin ST/LP .39 .32 

38 Pin ST/LP .45 .36 

40 Pin ST/LP .48 42 

64 Pin ST/LP 3.95 3 25 

WIHEWRAP (GOLO) 1-99 100 

6 Pin WW/3L 5 .49 5 .40 

14 Pin WW/3L .62 .49 

16 Pin WW/3L .65 .55 

18 PinWW/SL .88 .77 

20Pin WW/3L .99 .98 

22PlnWW/3L 1.19 1.13 

24 Ptn WW/3L 1.25 1.17 

28PinWW/3L 1.49 1.39 

40PinWW/3L 1.89 175 
TEXTOOL/ZIF ZERO INSERTION 
16 Pin 56.75 24 Ptn 57.85 28 PinSS.95 
(Wt Stock All Types of Sockets) 



7/51.00 2N3904 
PN2369A 5/1.00 2N3906 



PN916 

2N2218A 

2N2219A 

2N2905 

2N2907 

2N3055 

2N356S 

2N3636 

2N3772 



3/1.00 T1P29A 
TIP30A 
TIP31A 
TIP32A 
1N4146 
1N751 
1N4002 
1N4004 
MPQ2232 



2/1.00 
2/100 
2/1 25 
2/1.25 
25/1.00 
5/1.00 
12/100 
10/100 



OPTO ISOLATORS 



MCT-2 

MCT-6 

MCT-6B 

MCA-25S 

4N26 

4N27 

4N28 



4N33 
4N35 

4N37 
4N38 



LED LAMPS 



5 .09 5 .06 



Jumbo Red 

Jumbo Green 

Jumbo Yellow .17 .15 

Mini Size Red .10 .09 

Mini Size Green 19 .16 

Mini Size Yellow .19 .16 

SPECIAL VALUESI 

MCM68705 EPROM 5995 

6116/2016-ISOmS 10/19 95 

DB-25P Male 10/17.50 

DB-25S Female 10/19.95 

2732A2 10/29.95 

2716OC-450mS 10/2450 

2764-450mS 10/29.95 

CALL ACP FOR ALL YOUR 
VOLUME IC REQUIREMENTS 



EDGE CONNECTORS 



S-100ST 


53.95 


S-100 WW 


4 75 


44 Pin ST 


2 75 


44 Pin WW 


4.75 


72PmST 


650 


72PinWW 


725 


D-SUBMINIATURE 




1-24 


DB25S (Female 


53.10 


DB25P(Male) 


2.40 


Hood 51.25 


Mlg H/W 5 99 


DE37S (Female) 


55.95 


DE37P(Male) 


5.25 


Hood 5 1.75 


Mlg H/WS .99 


DD50S (Female) 


56.95 


DD50P (Male) 


6.00 


Hood 53.25 


Mtg H/W 5 .99 


(OTHER STYLES IN CATALOG) 


CENTRONICS 


IDC 36 Pin Male 




IDC 36 Pin Female 




Solder 36 Pin Male 




Solder 36Pin Female 




(CALL TOLL FREE FOR IDC'e) 



IDC CONNECTORS 



Solder Header 



Rt Angle Solder Header 



Ribbon Header Socket 



Ribbon Header 



Ribbon Edgecard 



Rt Angle W/W Header 



NUMBER OF CONTACTS 
20 26 34 40 5( 



.79 1.20 1.65 2.10 2.40 3.00 



3.10 4.10 4.20 4.60 7.15 



NOTE: To order insert number of contacts in place of xx in ACP part number. 
ORDER QUANTITY OF 50PCS (mixed) AND TAKE AN ADDITIONAL 10% OFF. 



EPSON PRINTERS 

FX-85 (160cps) S369.00 

FX-185 (160cps) 515.00 

LX-80 (100 cps) 245.00 

LQ-1500 (NLQ) 899.00 

FX-80+ 339.00 



PRINTER SPECIALS 

Toshiba 1340 S399.00 

Toshiba 341 949.00 

Toshiba 351 1099.00 

StarSG-10 239.00 

Brother 1509 399.00 



6800 

6810 S 2.65 



68047 22.95 



6502B 9.50 



8035 5 5 75 
8039 5.75 

8060A 295 
8085 A 4 90 
60C65A 9.95 
8088 2450 
8087-2 129.95 
17 50 



88 95 
8 75 



8155 
8156 
8185 
6202 
8203 
6205 
9212 



ZS0.CPU 

ZB0-CTC 

Z60.DART 

Z80-DMA 

Z80-PIO 

Z50-SID/0 

Z80-SID/1 

Z80-SID/2 

Z8D-SIO/9 



8214 J 
8216 

6224 

6226 

6226 

8237 

6237-5 

6238 

8243 

8250 

8251 

8251A 

8253 

8255 

82S5A 

8257 



8271 
8275 
8279 
8282 
6263 
8284 
8286 
8287 
8288 
8289 
6292 
8741 
8748 
8749 
B755A 



5 6.75 
69.95 
2695 



12.95 
27.95 
2450 
2450 
34,95 



4 0MHJ "B" 6.OMH1 



Z8002 34.95 



DISK CONTROLLERS 



UPD765 


5995 


1797 


52195 


6643 


S28.95 


1771 


15.95 


2791 


3295 


8272 


1995 


1791 


2275 


2793 


32.95 


1691 


6 95 


1793 


21.50 


2795 


3295 


2143 


6 95 


1795 


21.50 


2797 


27.95 


9216 


12 ;;b 



CRT CONTROLLERS 

6845 51195 6275 52850 I TMS9918 
68B4S 17.SS 7220 34.95 8350 
6847 1150 5027 17.95 6545 

5037 21.95 I 8002 

NEC7220Graphics 

UARTS/USARTS 

1602B S3 95 I 2350 5 8.95 I IM6403 
1013A 395 8250 1050 TMS5501 

1015A 6.75 I IM6402 7.75 I 2851 



1702 (ImS) 
2708 (4S0nS) 
2758 (5V) 
2716 (450nS) 
2716 (350nS) 
2518 (5V) 
TMS2716 
TMS2532 
2732 (450nS) 
2732 (250nS) 
2732 (200nS) 



2732A 4 (4S0nS) 5 
2732A (250nS) 
2732A-2 (200nS) 
2764 (450nS) 
2764 (250nS) 
2764 (200nS) 
TMS2564 (450nS) 
MCM68764 (450nS) 
MCM68766(350nS) I 
27128-3 (300nS) 
27128 (250nS) 



S4.9S I 27C64 

STATIC RAMS 



2101 (450nS) 51.89 

21L02 (450nS) .99 

2102-1 (450nS) .79 

21L02-2 (2S0nS) 1.39 

2111 (450nS) 2.75 

2112(4S0nS) 2.75 

2114 (450nS) 1.45 8/9.50 

21141-4 (450n) 1.69 8/12.50 

2114L-3(300n) 1.79 8/13.30 

2114L-2(200n) 1.69 8/13.90 

2147 (SSnS) 4.50 

4044-4(450nS) 3.25 

4044-3 (300nS) 3.75 

4044-2 (200nS) 4.35 

UPD410(100nS) 3 75 

5101 (CMOS) 3.50 



MK4118 $4.95 

TMM2016-2 (200nS) 3.10 
TMM2016-15 (150n) 3 95 
TMM2016-1 (tOOnS) 3,00 
HM8116P-4 (200nS) 475 
HM8116P-3 (ISOnS) 3 25 
HM6116P-2(120nS) 5.75 
HM61 16LP-4 (LP) 3.60 
HM6116LP-3 (LP) 3.95 
HM6116LP-2 (LP) 3.95 
Z6132 (300nS) 32.95 

HM6264P-1S (ISO) 14.95 
HM6264LP-15 (LP) 16.95 
74S189 (35nS) 1.65 

93415 (50nS) 3.95 

93425 (50nS) 3.95 



DYNAMIC RAMS 



4027 (250nS) 
1103 (300nS) 
4116N-2(150nS) 
4116N-3 (200nS) 
41 18N-4 (250nS) 
4164N.150(150n) 
4164N-200 (200n) 
4l64N-120(120nS) 
TMS4164l150iiS) 



TMS4416 (200nS) 56.95 

TMS4416(150nS) 7.75 

41258-150 (150n) 2.75 

41256-200 (200n) 2,75 

TMS4050(300nS) 1.85 

TMS4060 (SOOnS) 1.85 

MM5260 (300nS) 1.85 

UPD411 (300nS) 1.85 

MM5298 (250nS) 1.85 



DISK SPECIAL (ibm pc dsddj 



79' sssr wowi 

■ "Cd. Hub Rings 

PACKAGE Tyvac Cover supply Limited 

* Major Migr 



OF 100 



SVtt" DISKETTES 

VERBATIM 525-01 SS/DO 
VERBATIM 550-01 OS/DO (IBM) 
MAXELL MD-1 SS/DD (All) 
MAXELL MD-2 DS/DD (ISM) 
MAXELL DISKS lor AT (96tpi) 
DYSAN 104/1D SS/DO (AH) 
DYSAN 104/2D DS/DD (IBM) 
ACP SS/DD (All) 
ACP OS/OD (IBM) 
3Vi" DISKETTES 
VERBATIM 3',V MF350 (MAC) 
MAXELL 3VS" MICRODISK (MAC) 
B" DISKETTES 
VEHBATIM 8" SS/DD 
VERBATIM 8" DS/DD 
DYSAN 8" SS/OO 
DYSAN 8" DS/DD 



1 Box 10 Box 

522.95 519.95 

27.95 24.95 

19.95 17.95 

24.95 22.95 

46.95 43.95 

2795 2595 

34.95 31.95 

14.95 1295 

1795 tS.95 



28.95 26.95 

38.95 38.95 

32,95 3095 

49.95 47.95 



4000 5 


.26 


4028 


S .65 


4059 


57.90 


4001 


.22 


4029 


.75 


4060 


.85 


4002 


22 


4030 


.39 


4066 


.39 


4006 


.79 


4031 


3.25 


4069 


28 


4007 


.22 


4032 


2.15 


4070 


.35 


4008 


.95 


4034 


1.91 


4071 


28 


4009 


.39 


4035 


79 


4072 


.28 


4010 


.39 


4037 


1.95 


4073 


.28 


4011 


.24 


4040 


.75 


4075 


.26 


4012 


.24 


4041 


.75 


4076 


.75 


4013 


35 


4042 


.65 


4077 


.35 


4014 


75 


4043 


85 


4078 


.35 


4015 


.39 


4044 


.69 


4081 


.29 


4018 


.35 


4048 


.60 


4082 


.29 


4017 


65 


4047 


89 


4085 


.95 


4018 


79 


4048 


.99 


4086 


.95 


4019 


39 


4049 


35 


4093 


.45 


4020 


.69 


4050 


.34 


4094 


2.95 


4021 


,69 


4051 


.75 


4098 


1.90 


4022 


.69 


4052 


,75 


4099 


1.85 


4023 


.25 


4053 


78 


4501 


.69 


4024 


59 


4055 


3.95 


4502 


.95 


4025 


.25 


4056 


2.95 


4503 


49 


4027 


45 






CALL FOR 



74C00 5.29 
74C02 .29 
74C04 .29 
74C0B .35 
74C10 .35 



LM108AH 


S3.95 


LM300H 


.99 


LM301N 


.35 


LM304H 


1.89 


LM305H 


.95 


LM306H 


4.75 


LM307N 


.40 


LM306CN 


.65 


LM310CN 


1.65 


LM311CN 


.62 


LM312H 


1.75 


LM318CN 


1.45 


LM318H 


1.55 


LM319N 


1.19 


LM320 (sea 


VRs) 


LM324N 


.55 


LM339N 


.95 


LM340(see VRs) 


LM348N 


.95 


LM358CN 


.65 


LM359 


1.75 


LM360N 


295 


LM370N 


4.95 


LM373N 


3.95 


LM376N 


3.75 


LM377N 


1.90 


LM380CN 


85 


LM360N 


1.05 


LM381N 


1.59 


LM382N 


135 


LM383N 


1.95 


LM384N 


1.75 


LM386N 


89 


LM387N 


1.29 


LM389N 


1.15 


LM392N 


.69 


LM723N 


48 


LM723H 


.55 


NE531 


2.85 


NE555 


35 


NES56 


.65 


NE558 


1.49 


NE561 


23.50 


NE564 


2.85 


LM565 


.95 


LM566 


1.45 


LM567 


85 


NE570 


3.85 


NE571 


290 



4507 
4508 
4510 
4511 



4518 

4518 

4520 

4555 

4558 

4566 

80C95 

80C97 

MC14408 

MC14409 

MC14410 

MC14411 

MC14412 

MC14419 



74C74 5.65 I 74C161 51.15 I74C373 52.35 
74C85 1.89 74C175 1.15 74C374 2.35 
74C90 1.15 74C240 1.89 74C901 .59 
74C93 1.15 I 74C244 1.69 I74C922 4.45 
MORE 74C IN STOCK- ALSO IN CATALOG 



LM3909 .96 

LM3914 52.95 

LM3915 2.95 

LM3916 2.95 

MC4024 3.75 

MC4044 4.35 

RC4131 3.75 

RC4138 1.19 

RC4151 3.75 

CA3023 2.75 

CA3039 1.25 

CA3048 1.25 

CA3059 2.85 

CA3060 2.85 

CA3065 169 

CA3080 1 10 

CA3081 1.60 

CA3082 1.60 

CA3083 1.55 

CA3086 80 

CA3089 2.95 

CA3098 3.45 

CA3130 1.29 

CA3140 1.15 

CA3146 179 

CA3160 1.49 

LM13060 1.25 

LM13600 1.45 

LM13700 1.45 
LF347 



JANUARY SPECIALS 

(SUPPLY LIMITED) 

igjXJfMRTl ALL NEW FACTORY BOX 
ymmmiaJ with 1 Year Warranty! 

MODEL 127 20Mb HARD DISK 

External Unit with Controller Built-in. 

Available with Host Adaptor for IBM-PC, 

IBM-XT or Apple II (Add $149.95 for Host 

Adaptor). 

Reg Retail $1495 ACP $499.00 

MODEL 227 20Mb w/TAPE 

Complete Subsystem with 20Mb Hard Disk 
and High Speed Tape Back-up. Requires 
Host Adaptor at $149.95. 
Reg Retail $2995 ACP $1399.00 



Emu 



SUPER NUMERIC KEYPAD 

Manufactured by Keytronics. We have sold 

ACP $29.95 

or 6 for 24.95 ea 



Reg Retail $99 



NE590 


52.45 


NE592 


2.70 


LM709N 


.55 


LM709H 


1.90 


LM710 


.68 


LM711 


75 


LM715 


3.95 


LM723N 


55 


LM723H 


.75 


LM733 


98 


LM739 


1.85 


LM741CN 


.33 


LM74JH 


40 


LM741N 


.29 


LM747 


65 


LM748 


55 


LM1014 


1 15 


LM1303 


1.90 


LM1310 


1.45 


MC1330 


1.65 


MC1349 


1.85 


MC1350 


1.15 


MC1358 


1.65 


MC1372 


6.75 


LM1414 


1.55 


LM15S8H 


299 


LM1800 


235 


LM1812 


8 10 


LM1830 


340 


LM1871 


5 45 


LM1872 


5.45 


LM1877 


320 


LM1889 


1.90 


LM1696 


1.70 


ULN2001 


1.95 


ULN2003 


1.49 


XR2206 


3.75 


XR2207 


2 90 


XR2208 


2.40 


XR2211 


3.75 


LM2877P 


2.00 


LM2878P 


2.25 


LM2900 


83 


LM2901 


.99 


LM2903 


69 


LM2907 


2.45 


LM2917 


285 


LM3900 


55 


LM3905 


1.15 



LF351 

LF353 

LF355 

LF3S6 

LF3S7 

TL071CP 

TL072CP 

TL074CN 

TL081CP 

TL084CN 

TL494 

TL496 

TL497 

MC3423 

MC3453 

MC3456 

MC3459 

MC3469 

MC3470 



VOLTAGE REGULATORS 



7B0ST Also 
8, 12. 15 


, 24V 


.69 


7905KAIso < „-. 
12, 15. 24V. .1 .jy 


78L05. 12, 


15V 65 


79L05, 12, 15V 


. .75 


78M06C 


.... 89 


LM309K ...... 


. . 1.25 


78MG/79MG 1.49 


LM317H/K , 1 


25/3.65 


78H05KC . 


B.75 


LM323K 


4.85 


7805K AJso 




LM337K 


..3.75 


12, 15. 24V .. 1 .£y 


LM338K 


..6.75 




. 24V... 79 


LM350T 


..4.55 


8, 12, 1£ 


LM350K 


. 4.75 


SPECIAL PURPOSE CHIPS 




MC14411 J 


11.50 


58174 511.25 


95H90 


5 9.25 


BR1941 


11.50 


5832 3.75 


76477 


3 75 


34702 


12.50 


AYS2376 11.50 


76488 


5 75 


5016 


14.95 


AY53600 11.50 


76489 


8 75 


8116 


10.50 


2513-001U 9.50 


AY38910 


7.95 


5307 


10.50 


2513-002L 9.50 


AY38912 


7.95 


MC4024 


3.75 


UPD7201 27.95 


SSI-263 


36.95 


8038 


3.75 


3341 4.50 


Volrax 


39.95 


5369 


3.50 


11C90 13.25 


DiglialKar 


34,95 


58167 


1225 


MC1590G 


2.95 


LM13600N 


1.95 



ADC0800 514.95 


ADC0804 


3.45 


DAC0806 


1.90 


ADC0B09 


4,45 


ADC0816 


14.25 


AD7523.IN 


1.99 



ADC0817 


59.75 


OAC0800 


4.75 


OAC0806 


2.85 


DAC1020 


7.95 


OAC1022 


5.65 


LF353N 


1.99 



SP10O0 Speech 59.95 TR1863 5V UART 54.25 

DATA AQUISITION 

1408L6 5195 
1408L8 2.65 
DAC100 7.95 
DAC08 7.95 
DAC01 8.95 

LF13201N 1.99 

EXPANSION MEMORY 
64K UPGRADE (set of 9) $7.95 
256K RAMS (Set of 9) $26.95 

CABLES/ACCESSORIES 

IBM PARALLEL (Shielded) 519.95 

IBM SERIAL(Shielded) 19.95 

KEYBOARD EXTENSION 4.95 

RS232 GENDER CHANGER Male-Male 9.9? 

RS232 GENDER CHANGER Female-Female 695 

NULL MODEM AOAPTOR 6.95 



5H" DISK 
TUB 

$8.95 



3V," DISK 
TUB 

$14.95 



HEAD CLEANING 
KIT-5V.'- or B" 

$9.95 



DISK DRIVE SPECIALS 

Toshiba ND04D OS/OD IBM S89.50 

Toshiba ND04E-G for "AT" 99.50 

Toshiba ND08DE-G 1.2Mb for 'AT"149.50 
ALL WITH MOUNTING KIT 



7400 
7401 
7402 
7403 
7404 
7405 
7406 
7407 
7406 
7409 
7410 



7416 
7417 
7420 
7421 
7422 
7423 
7425 
7426 
7427 
7428 
7430 
7432 
7437 
7438 
7439 
7440 
7441 
7442 
7443 
7444 
7445 



74LS00 5 

74LS01 

74LS02 

74LS03 

74LS04 

74LS05 

74LS08 

74LS09 

74LS10 

74LS11 

74LS12 

74LS13 

74LSU 

74LS15 

74LS20 

74LS21 

741S22 

74LS25 

74LS27 

74LS28 

74LS30 

74LS33 

74LS33 

74LS37 

74LS38 

74LS40 

74LS42 

74LS47 

74LS48 

74LS51 

74LS54 

74LS55 

74LS73 

74LS74 

74LS75 

74LS78 

74LS78 

74LS83 

74LS85 

74LS86 

74LS90 

74LS92 

74LS93 

74LS95 

74LS96 

74LS107 

74LS109 

74LSH2 



74S0O $.25 

74502 .29 

74503 29 

74504 45 

74505 45 

74508 39 

74509 .39 

74510 .35 

74511 .39 
74S15 .35 
74S20 39 
74S22 .35 
74S30 .35 
74S32 45 
74S38 .89 
74S40 .39 
74S51 .35 

74564 .39 

74565 .39 



7448 


5 .66 


74123 


5 .45 


7447 


.65 


74125 


42 


7448 


66 


74126 




7450 


.19 


74126 


49 


7451 


.19 


74132 


.45 


7453 


.19 


74138 


.75 


7454 


.19 


74U1 


.65 


7459 


.25 


74142 


2.95 


7460 


.37 


74143 


3.70 


7470 


.29 


74144 


2.95 


7472 


29 


74145 


59 


7473 


33 


74147 


1.49 


7474 


.34 


7414S 


1.19 


7475 


.36 


74150 


1.09 


7476 


34 


74151 


55 


7479 


4.60 


74152 


67 


7480 


.69 


74153 


.53 


7482 


.95 


74154 


1.19 


7483 


.45 


74155 


69 


7485 


.55 


74156 


.59 


7486 


.35 


74157 


.58 


7489 


1 05 


74158 


165 


7490 


35 


74159 


1.58 


7491 


05 


74160 


.79 


7492 


.45 


74161 


.69 


7493 


.35 


74162 


.69 


7494 


.85 


741B3 


.69 


7495 


50 


74164 


69 


7496 


.69 


74165 


.69 


7497 


2.70 


74166 


85 


74100 


1.50 


74187 


2.75 


74107 


.24 


74170 


125 


74109 


.17 


74172 


4 75 


74118 


1.45 


74173 


.69 


74121 


29 


74174 


69 


74122 


44 


74175 


69 



74176 5 .89 

74177 .89 

74179 134 

74180 .75 

74181 1.75 

74182 1.15 

74184 2.25 

74185 2.25 

74190 67 

74191 67 

74192 ,67 

74193 .67 

74194 67 

74195 .67 

74196 .75 

74197 .96 

74198 1.15 

74199 1,15 
74221 1.19 
74251 .75 
74273 1.65 
74276 1.68 
74279 75 

74283 140 

74284 2.90 

74285 2.90 
74290 1.49 
7429B 1.49 

74365 .55 

74366 .55 

74367 .55 

74368 .55 
74390 1.45 
74393 133 
74490 225 



74LS00 

74LS113 5 .38 

74LS114 .39 

74LS122 .45 

74LS123 .95 

74LS124 2.75 

74LS125 .49 

74LS129 .49 

74LS132 .59 

74LS13B .39 

74LS139 .59 

74LS135 .59 

74LS145 1.19 

74LS14B 1.38 

74LS151 .55 

74LS153 .55 

74LS1S4 149 

74LS155 69 

74LS156 69 

74LS157 .69 

74LS159 .69 

74LS160 69 

74LS161 69 

74LS162 69 

74LS163 69 

74LS164 69 

74LS165 .90 

74LS160 1.90 

74LS16S 1.15 

74LS160 1.15 

74LS170 140 

74LS173 67 

74LS174 .67 

74LS175 ,87 

74LS181 1.95 

74LS190 .85 

74LS191 .65 

74LS192 .78 

74LS193 .78 

74LS194 .69 

74LS195 .89 

74LS196 .79 

74LS197 .79 

74LS221 .89 

74LS240 .95 

74LS242 .95 

74LS243 .95 

74LS244 1.25 

74LS245 1.45 



74LS247 

74LS248 

74LS249 

74LS251 

74LS253 

74LS257 

74LS258 

74LS259 

74LS260 

74LS261 

74LS266 

74LS273 

74LS275 

74LS279 

74LS283 

74LS290 

74LS293 

74LS255 

74LS29B 

74LS324 

74LS347 

74LS348 

74LS3S2 

74LS353 

74LS363 

74LS36S 

74LS366 

74LS367 

74LS368 

74LS373 

74LS374 

74LS375 

74LS377 

74LS385 

74LS386 

74LS390 

74LS393 

74LS395 

74LS399 

74LS424 

74LS688 

74LS870 

61LS95 

81LS98 

81LS97 

81LS98 

2SLS2521 

29LS2569 



74SO0/PROMS* 

74S74 $.55 
74S8S 1.B9 
74S68 .55 

745112 .55 

745113 .55 

745114 .55 
74S124 2.69 

745132 1.39 

745133 .43 

745134 .50 

745135 B9 

745136 1.39 

745139 B9 
74S135 .69 

745140 .55 
74S151 .99 
74S1S3 .99 
74S157 .99 



74S159 


5.99 


74S160 


2.49 


74S161 


IBS 


74S174 


1.19 


74S175 


1.19 


74S188* 


1.49 


74S194 


149 


74S195 


1.49 


74S1S6 


1.49 


74S240 


1.99 


74S241 


1.99 


74S242 


199 


74S243 


1 99 


74S244 


1,99 


74S251 


1 19 


74S2S3 


1 IS 


74S2S7 


1.19 


74S25B 


1 19 



CALL FOR 74HC 



74S260 
74S280 
74S287' 
74S28B' 
74S373 
74S374 
74S3B7' 
74S471' 
74S472' 
74S473' 
74S474' 
74S475' 
74S570' 
74S57V 
74S572' 
74S573' 
74S940 
74S941 



nduii-y 



jjjj|jijj§j| 



Inc 



sil 



Qttejz 



etail 
ific 



Eac 



iaxJni\n^A\£J\2tt 



lUE 



Ed 



nijer, 



Saiita 



AjTc*_CA 



WlOll 



California Digital 

17700 Figueroa Street • Carson, California 90248 



i i 



XEROX *29 

SUNRISE COMPUTER 



80 Column 
LCD Display 



10 Function Keys 



Micro 





Microphone for 
Speaker Telephone 




Internal 1200 
Baud Modem 



Monitor Output 
Television Output 



, Optional Printer 



Speaker 

The Xerox Sunrise 1 8 1 is by far the best value we have ever 
seen in a micro computer. This is a self contained battery and AC 
operated portable. The Sunrise was originally prices at $2995. 
Xerox has since elected to drop the computer from their product 
list. California Digital has purchased all the remaining inventoiy 
and is making the unit available at a fraction of its original cost. 
This portable features a built in 80 column liquid crystal display, 
64K of memory along with both RF monitor and television out- 
puts. The internal 300/1 200 baud modem includes an auto dial 
telephone assembly. The units has both Centronics parallel and 
a serial port programmable to 19,200 baud. The self contained 
micro cassette is capable of capturing data from the keyboard as 
well as doubling as an recorder for dictating messages. 
An optional dual floppy disk drive module, pictured above, is 
available for only $219. Also available, for $59 is an 80 column 
printer that mounts in the drive module. The Sunrise features a 
CP/M operating system which allows the operator to use any 
CP/M program in Xerox 5Vt" disk format and over 5000 CP/M 
programs available in publicdomain. 

We haveavalable a 15 minute tapeon the Sunrise Computer. The 
tape is in VHS format and was produced by Xerox to promote the 
computer. California Digital is offerthe promotional tape atS15. 
This will beapplied towards purchase price of the Sunrise 1810. 



DATA PRODUCTS 



1200 Baud # Hayes Compatible 

The Eclipse 1 200 is the best value we have ever offered in a fully 

Hayes Compatible modem. The unit incorporates status lamps, 

speaker, auto dial and many more features into this compact 

package. 

California Digital is so comfident of your completesatisfaction that 

we will allow The return of the Eclipse 1 200 and apply the full credit 

towards the purchase price of any other modem. 



T^ 1 ^ SUPPORT 

:§::=i?§: PRODUCTS 



MEMORY & SPECIALTY BOARDS 

Twlx- Winchester, floppy and streamer tape 299 
AST Six Pack64K, serial, par'l, clock/cal. 229 
AST Six Pack as above but384k/Byte of mem. 239 
419 
129 
279 
379 
239 
219 
499 
199 
119 



AST Advantage 128K 

ASTI/Oplus clock/cal., serial &gameport 

Quadram Quadboard II, 64K memory 

Quadram QuadLInk/ Apple files 

Persyst Time Spectrum card, 64K 

DigiGraphics Multiluncition 

Titan Tech. PC/Accellertor 

Hexace RAM card 576K/byte 

Hexace multifunction 

GRAPHIC CARDS 
Hercules Color Card 179 

Hercules Graphic Cant 319 

Persysl BoB Board super hi-res color. 329 

Hexace half slot video card 1 1 9 

Peacock Color Card, composit/RGB, printer 139 
California Comp. Supervision graphics 379 

INTERNAL MODEMS 
Modtech UltraLink 1200, 202 half duplex 99 
AnchorAuto. Signalman Mk6. 300 baud. 49 
Promethus1200B internal 279 







HARDWARE 

Tallnrass 6D msg. tape back-up 1459 

KrarT IBM Joystick 35 

Microsoft Mouse, serial & paintbrush 145 

Mouse Systems PC Mouse 149 

8087 co-processor 119 

Keylronics 5151 IBM keyboard 199 

Belkin A/B switch, pari or serial 59 

SOFTWARE 

MicroPro WordStar word processing 179 

AshtonTate Framework, spreadsheets 395 
AshtonTate DBase til .DataBase Manager 395 

Lotus 1-2-3 spreadsheet & more 299 

Symphony by Lotus development 419 

Redwood Dev. Jr. CAD, plotter 59 



1200 BAUD MODEMS 

UltraLink 1200 




The Universal Data 21 2A is manufactured for the mini- 
computer market. This modem is both 300 and 1200 
baud auto answer. An industrial quality modem origin- 
ally priced at S595. NOT Hayes compatible. 



SMARTEAM 1200 




The Team 212A offers all the features of the Hayes 
Smart Modem 1200 for a fraction of the price. Now is 
your opportunity to purchase a 1200 baud modem at 
the price of a 300 baud modem. 



SIGNALMAN MARK VI 
^no BAUD IVIMIflV VI 



300 BAUD 




The Anchor Automation Mark VI is a 300 baud direct 
connect modem that plugs into any slot of your IBM/PC. 
This modem supports auto answer and auto dial capa- 
bilities. Other features include telephone number stor- 
age, send / receive text files, single key-stroke dialing 
along with many other functions provided on disk. The 
Mark VI was originally priced at over S300. 




10 MEGABYTE T M** ^V 
WINCHESTER ^b^P M 

■JADI-k nicu HDIlir » 



HARD DISK DRIVE 



°*»%fr-* 



Quantity Two 



The UltraLink is a 1200 baud HALF DU- " 
PLEX bell 202 compatible internal modem 
card for the IBM/PC. This unit operates full 
duplex at 300 baud. 

The UltraLink adds a voice/data demerv 
sion to your PC. Manufacturers original 
suggested price on this modem is $795. 
California Digitals price is only $99. 








Eclipse 1 200 1 00% Hayes, with status lamps. 
Universal Data 21 2LP, 1 200 duplex, line powered. 
Universal Data 2 1 2A. 300/ 1 200 baud, industrial. 
Universal Data 1 03JLP, line powered, auto answer 
Hayes Smartmodem 2400 baud modem 
Fujitsu 2400/1 200 baud auto everything. 
Team 1 200 Hayes Compatible. 300/ 1 200 baud. 
UltraLink 1200 data and voice on same line. 
CTS 21 2AH 1 200 baud, auto dial 
Terminal software for CTS 2 1 2AH 
Prometheus 1 200 super features 
Prometheus 1200B internal PC 
Signalman Mark 12, 1200 baud, Hayes compatible 
Signalman Mark VI, 300 baud internal PC 
Hayes Smart Modem 1 200 baud, auto dial 
Hayes 1200Bforusewilh the IBM/ PC, 1200 baud. 
Hayes Smartmodem, 300 baud only, auto dial 
Hayes Chronograph, time & date 
Ppnril 300/1200 industrial aualitv 



ECP-1200 

UDS-212LP 

UDS-212A 

UDS-103LP 

HYS-2400 

FUJ-1935D 

TEM-SM1200 

UTL-1200A 

CTS-212AH 

CTS-212SFT 

PRM-P1200 

PRM-P1200B 

SGL-MK12 

SGL-MK6 

HYS-212AD 

HYS-1200B 

HYS-103AD 

HYS-CHR232 

PEN-12AD 



179.00 
139,00 
159.00 

29.00 
599.00 
459.00 
199.00 

99.00 
219.00 

35.00 
319.00 
279.00 
239.00 

49.00 
389.00 
369.00 
199.00 
199.00 
3 



Five Inch Winchester Disk Drives 

each two+ 
SHUGART SA712 10 M. Ht. 259 239 
SEAGATE ST506 6.7 Meg. 139 129 
SEAGATE 225 20 Meg. Vi Ht. 389 359 
SEAGATE 4026 26 M. 35mS. 859 829 
SEAGATE 4051 51 M. 35mS.1095 1059 
FUJITSU 2242 55 M. 35mS. 1799 1729 
FUJITSU 2243 86 M. 35mS. 2295 2219 
RODIME RO-202E 27 Meg. 759 729 
RODIME RO-203E 40 Meg. 995 959 
RODIME RO-204E 53 Meg. 1259 1195 
CONTROLDATA 94155-86 M.1829 1779 
MAXTOR XT1140 140 Meg. 3379 3295 
HONEYWELL 85M. 27 mS. 1795 1695 
TOSHIBA MK5670M.30mS.1789 1729 
TANDON 502 10 Meg. 419 379 



• Winchester Controllers for IBM/PC • 
FALCON FT-HDC half card 189 
XEBEC 1220 with floppy controller 269 
NATIONAL COMPUTIR5004 159 
OTC 5150BX 159 
OMTI 5510 half card 189 
ADAPTEC 2010A software install 189 
WESTERN DIGITAL WO/1002 189 

• SCSI/SASI Winchester Controllers • 
XEBEC 1410A 5V4" foot print 239 
OMTI 20L 119 

• Winchester Accessories • 

Installation Kit with manual 10 

Winchester enclosure and supply 139 

Dual 20/34 cable set 25 

Switching power supply 49 



TOLL FREE ORDER LINE 

(800) 421-5041 



TECHNICAL & CALIFORNIA 

(213)217-0500 



448 BYTE • JANUARY 1986 



California Digital 

17700 Figueroa Street m Carson, Calif ornia 90248 



BY*" DISK DRIVE 

SALE '89 



LETTER QUALITY £A<A/% 

F-10 DAISY tZYt 

WHEEL PRINTER 



Quantity 



Single piece price $499. But if you have already 
purchased an F-10 printer from California Digital, we 
will honor the $429 price on the second printer. 




■ ■ ■ ■ 



The TEC F-10 Daisy Wheel printer is the perfect an- 
swer to a reasonably priced 40 character word proces- 
sing printer. While this printer is " extremely" similar to 
C.ltoh's F-10/40 Starwriter printer. Legal counsel for 
the C.ltoh Company have advised us that we should 
refrain from referring to the TEC printer as a Starwriter. 
This 40 character per second printer auto installs with 
Wordstar and Perfect Writer. Features extensive built- 
in word processing functions that allow easy adaptabil- 
ity and reduced software complexity. Industry standard 
Centronics interface provides instant compatibility with 



all computers equiped with a parallel printer port. The 
TEC F-1 accepts paper up to 1 5 inches in width. 
These printers were originally priced to sell at over 
$1 400. Through a special arrangment California Digital 
has purchase these units from a major computer man- 
ufacturer and is offering these printers at a fraction of 
their original cost. 

Options available include sheetfeeder, tractor feed, 
buffered memory and an assortment of printer cables 
for a variety of computers. 



Quantity Two 

Your Choice any 48 or 96 TPI drive 

SHUGART • TEAC • QUME 

MITSUBISHI ♦ MATSUSHITA 




DUAL SHUGART 

SUBSYSTEM 

'239 

The dual Shugart subsystem features 
two SA465 (96 tpi) 5Va" double sided 
disk drives. Also supplied within the 
subsystem is 50 watt power supply 
and a shielded signal cable. 

PLOTTER 




TEAC FD55B half height 99 

TEAC FD55F 96 TPI, half ht. 119 
TEAC FD55FG for IBM AT 1 89 

SHUGART SA455 Half Height 99 
SHUGART SA465 V2 Ht. 96TPI 99 
TANDON 1 00-2 full height 1 29 

MITSUBISHI4851 half height 99 
MITSUBISHI 4853 96/TPIV2 Ht. 99 
MITSUBISHI 4854 8" elec. 295 
QUME 1 42 half height 99 

Switching power supply 
Installation Kit with manual 
Dual enclosure for 5W drives 
34 pin edge connectors 
Scotch head cleaning kit 
Flip & File Storage tubs 



Uninterruptebh 
Power Supply 



2B9 



219 



£» ffl 



supply is the ideal solution. The UPS supplies 250 watts of of clean power, 
free from RFI and EMlnoise. The unitwillsupportalBM/XTsystemandcolor 
monitor upto 12 miniutes after power failure. Enough time to complete your 
program and come to a soft landing. The UPS can be sustained lor addition 
hours by connecting to a 1 2 volt car battery. This is an inexpensive solution to 
a very costly problem. 



Quick-Link 300 



The Comrex Comscriber lis theideal solution lo make shon work of transiting financial and 

numef tc dala into a graphic presentation Many ready lo run programs such ns Lotus 1-2-3. 

Vision and Apple busmessgraphics already support Ihis ploiler 

The Comscriber I features programmable paper sizes up to 8' ? by 120 inches. 6 inch per 

second plotspeed and 00 J step size Easy to implement Centromcsinieriace allows the 

Comscriber I immediate use with ihe printer port ot most personal computers 

Trie Comscriber I is manufacluied (or Comrex by the Enter Computer Corporation The 

ploller is marketed by Heath Kit and also sold under Enters own Sweet P Label This is 

your opportunity to purchase a plotter which was ongmally priced at S795 lor only $219 

Also available is a support package which includes demonstration software, interface edible. 

a multicolor pen assortment and a variety ol paper ;ind transparency material 




SEC RGB 

COLOR 
MONITOR 

*219 



The NEC JC-140 1 D s a 13 medium/high resolution RGB monitor suitable lor use wiih ihe 
Sanyo MBC-550/555 or the IBM/PC The monitor (eaiures a resolution ol 400 dots by 240 
lines Colors available are Rod. Green, Blue. Yellow. Cyan. Magenta, Blackand While 
The NEC monitor cairies the Lilton-Monroe label and was originally scheduled lor use in 
their Office o( the Future equipment A change in Monroe s marketing straiegy has made 
these units excess inventory which were sold to California Digital We are ollcring these 
new RGB monitors al a Iraction of their original cost Sanyo compatible NEC- 1 001 /S; 
IBM/P/C Computer compatible NEC-I401/PC 




The Quick-Link 300 gives you an instant link to any dial up data base. S uch as 
Dow Jones, Western Union or the Source. The Quick-Link has four user 
programmable log-on keys, allowing the operator, with only one key stroke, to 
dial the data base, log-in and give the password. All this information is perma- 
nently stored in non-volatile RAM. 

Features include video output to television or monitor, auto dial, auto-log, full 
sized keyboard, 300 baud modem and 1200 baud auxillaiy printer pott. All this 
is available for only $59. 



DRAGON 

'99 




wo Ten 



89 89 

89 89 

179 175 

89 89 

89 89 

125 119 

89 89 

89 89 

285 275 

89 89 

49 

10 

59 

5 

19 

15 



UME 

*149 



Eight Inch Single Sided Drives 

QUME 841 single side 159 149 call 

SHUGART 801 R 
SIEMENS FDD 100-8 



359 359 354 
119 115 109 

Eight Inch Double Sided Drives 
QUME 842 "QUME TRACK 8" 189 179 call 
SHUGART SA851R 495 485 475 

OLIVETTI double sided 189 179 159 

REMEXRFD-4000 179 169 159 

MITSUBISHI M2896-63 V 2 Ht. 459 449 409 
Dual 8" enclosure with power and fan 259 
Switching power supply 89 



Installation kit with manual 



10 



PRINTERS 




Compatible with most Radio Shack Color Computer software. The world 
famous Dragon computer is now available in the United States. Manufactured 
by the Tano Corp. under license of the British Broadcasting Company. 
The Dragon comes complete with 64K Byte of memory, seriafmodem port 
along with a Centronics printer interface. This unique microcomputer features 
Motorola's advanced 6809E microprocessor and comes standard with Micro- 
soft Color Basic, data base manager, and a complete word processing pack- 
age. The computer outputs color composite video along with R.F. video that 
allows the unit to be used in conjunction with any color television. 
This is the Ideal low cost computer to be used with any dial up information 
system such as the Source. EasyLink or any other time share setvice. 



MATRIX PRINTERS 

SlarGemini-SGlO 120 char/sec. 

StarGemini.SGl5, 100 char./sec- 15" paper. 

Star Gemini Delta 10. 160 Char/sec 

Citizen MSP/10FT 160 char/sec. 

Toshiba P13S1. J92 char/sec. tetterqualily 

Okidaia 182A serial & parallel 9 Vi" paper 

Okidata 192A parallel interlace. 160 char/sec. 

Okidata 84 P parallel 1 5" paper 

Epson LX-60 10" 120 Char/sec. 

Epson FX80FT, 10" 160 char/sec. wilhgraphlrax 

Epson RX100 + 15' wilhGraphlrax 

Epson FX100FT 15" 160 char. /sec with graphlrax 

Epson LQ1 500. 1 5" corespondence quality 

Epson JX80 Color printer 

Prowriter 851 parallel 9W paper 

Dataproducts B-600-3. band printer 600 LPM. 

Prinlronix P300 high speed printer 300 lines permin 

Prinlromx P600 ultra high speed 600 lines per minuti 

WORD PROCESSING PRINTERS 

Starwriler F 10 parallel. 40diar/sec. PRO-FiOP 

NEC8810 55 char/second, senal interface NEC-8810 

NEC8830 55 char/sec, pari interlace 

NEC3550 popular printer designed tor Ihe IBM/PC 

N E C20 SO designed lor IBM /PC 20 char/sec par I 

SilverHeed EXP5O0. 14 char/sec. par I interi aco 

Silver Reed EXP550 17 Char/sec par I interlace 

Diablo 630 40 char/sec. serial 

Diablo 620. proportional spacing, horz.& verl lab 20cps. DBL-620 

Juki 6100. 18 char/sec. JUK-6100 

Juki 6300. 40 char./sec. JUK-6300 

Comrex CR2, SK butler, proportional spacing, pari. CP.XCR2P 



STR-SG10 

STR-SGlS 

STR-D10 

CITMSP10 

TOS-1351 

OKI-182A 

OKI-192A 

OKI84P 

EPSLX80 

EPS-FX60 

EPS RX1O0 

EPS-FXI00 

EPS-LQ1500 

EPS-JX80 

PRO-8510P 

DPS-B600 

PTX-P300 

PTX-P600 



NEC-8830 

NEC-3550 

NEC-2050 

SHD-EXP500 

SRD-EXP550 

DBL-630 



239.00 
389 00 
35900 
28900 
1495.00 
257 00 
34500 
789.00 
23900 
369 00 
389.00 
489 00 
89500 
51900 
32900 
698500 
399500 
579500 



49900 
1659 00 
165900 
1599 00 
68900 
319.00 
429 00 
1569.00 
76900 
399 00 
69900 
395 00 



Shipping: First five pounds S3. 00, each additional pound $.50. 
Foreign orders: 10% shipping, excess will be refunded. 
California residents add 6 1 /2% sales tax. • COD's discouraged. 
Open accounts extended to state supported educational institu- 
tions and companies with a strong "Dun & Bradsf reet" rating. 



JANUARY 1 986 • BYTE 




450 BYTE • JANUARY 1986 



Inquiry 178 




ANUARY 1986 •BYTE 451 



M 



BASF 

FLEXYDISKS 



SS/DD $ QQ 

Soft iWLea 

DS/DD $4 AA 

Soft LU^ea 

High Density $Q CQ 

(IBM -AT) £.UC/ea 



.89* 

iv5/e 

$ 2.49 



ea 



$ 2.10ea S 2.05 



3.5 / SS 
Micro 

In Stock — Immediate Shipment. 

Mastercard, VISA, Check or Money Order. 

Add $3.00 shipping charges per each 100 or part. 

Add $2.50 additional for C.O.D. shipments. 

N.J. residents add 6% sales tax. 

Data Exchange 

Dept. B, P.O. Box 993 
178 Route 206 South 
Somerville, N.J. 0BB76 

(201) 874-5050 



EPROM 

PROGRAMMER 



CilQ 



APROTEK 1000 
ONLY 

$265. 00 

COMPLETE WITH 
PERSONALITY 

\ :■:.. ■■■..:■■;::-....■■ MODULE 

117 VOLT AC POWER-RS232 

-6 BAUD RATES - HANDSHAKE TO HOST 

ALLOWS READ. WRITE, VERIFY & COPY 

Comes complete with a CPM, IBM-PC or Apple 
Driver Program on Disc. 

Programs the following 5 Volt 24 or 28 pin 
devices: 2716 series through 27256, 25xx series, 
68764 plus others. Please Specify Personality 
Module desired with order. Additional Personality 
Modules only $15.00 ea. Full 1 year warranty. 



TO ORDER: CALL 1 BOO 


962 5800 OR 


WRITE 


APROTEK 






1071AAVENIDA ACAS 


3 


Add 


CAMARILLO.CA 93010 


$4.00Sh»ppi 


igUSA 


Info (805) 987 2454 


VISA or MC/ 


\dd 3% 




Real-Time Multitasking Executive 



■ Language Interfaces : 
C Pascal 

PL/M Fortran 



■ DOS File Access : 
CP/M-80 
IBM PC DOS 



■ No royalties 

■ Source code included 

■ Fault free operation 

■ Ideal for process control 

■ liming control provided 

■ Low interrupt overhead 

■ Inter-task messages 

Options: 

■ Resource Manager 

■ Buffer Manager 

■ Integer Math Library 



AMX for 8080 $ 800 US 

8086 950 

6809 950 

68000 1600 

Manual (specify processor) 75 

Jlc KAD AK Prod u cts Ltd. ( 6n *> 734.2796 

^F Telex: 04-55670 

206-1847 W. Broadway. Vancouver. B.C.. Canada V6J 1 Y5 



Inquiry 394 



Inquiry 24 



Inquiry 190 



ChinaStar© II 
CHINESE WORD PROCESSOR 

$99. 

• IBM PC, XT, AT, portable or 
compatible with 256 K RAM 

• Multilingual 

• 21,000 Traditional or 11,000 
Simplified Chinese characters 

• Traditional/Simplified file 
translation program 

• Multiple input methods 

L JHL RESEARCH, INC. 

2552 W. Woodland Dr., Anaheim, CA 92801 
(714) 827-7420 Telex: 350481 IBC 



__-»____ SINGLE 

M68000 *™ R ° 

COMPUTER 




On board 6-10 MHz CPU, 20K RAM. 32K EPROM, 
twoRS-232, 16-bit port, 5-counter/timers 
expandable via Memory/FDC Board. 

M68K CPU (bare board) $ 89.95 

M68K CPU A&T (6MHz) $495.00 

MD512K Memory/FDC (bare board) $ 89.95 

MD512K Memory/FDC (128K) $495.00 

FDC/Hard Disk interface option $150.00 

M68KE Enclosure w/power supply. $249.00 

M68K Monitor EPROM's $ 95.00 

M68K Macro Cross Assembler $195.00 

4XF0RTH OS w/assembler. editor $295.00 

CP/M 68K OS w/"C" compiler .$395.00 

pmfO Educational P.O. Box 16115 

I"" IVI ^% Microcomputer Irvine, CA 92713 
1^1 T 10 Systems (714)854-8545 



15-BIT A/D CONVERTER 
for IBM® PC 

+ /-5V0LT INPUT RANGE, FULLY DIFFERENTIAL 

0.025% ACCURACY, 4 CHANNELS 

7 SAMPLES/SECOND $265 

6-CHANNEL THERMOCOUPLE THERMOMETER 

FULLY DIFFERENTIAL $175 

64-CHANNEL DATA LOGGING SOFTWARE 
VOLTAGE, CURRENT OR THERMOCOUPLES 
16-CHANNEL STRIP CHART INCLUDED 

POWERFUL AND EASY TO USE $150 

****** 

FOR APPLE II® 

BROAD LINE OF 0ATA ACQUISITION AND CONTROL 

PRODUCTS INCLUDING: 
8-, 12-. AND 13-BIT A/D CONVERTERS 
SAMPLING RATES UP TO 1 1 1 .000/SECOND 
THERMOMETRY, DIGITAL 1/0 
DATA LOGGING SOFTWARE 
CUSTOM HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE 
REASONABLE PRICES 

LAWSON LABS, INC. 

5700 RAIBE ROAD 
COLUMBIA FALLS, MT 59912 



406-387-5355 



Inquiry 186 



Inquiry l|9 



Inquiry 204 



J- PC/XT USERS! 

I COGTREE Utilities by 

Cogitate St 29.95 

# LYNC by Norton-Lamber SI 99.95 

# DATAFLEX by Data Access . . . Varies 

# RM/COBOL by Ryan/ 

McFarland Varies 

# Universe by Omnitrend . . . . S 98.50 
I Blue Mac! by Cogitate S 599.00 

# CadPower+ by Trilex S995.00 

f Softext Teaching Aids S 95.00 

M PrintSet by Cogitate S 79.95 

M CogiTAPE by Cogitate CALLN 

# Anti-Static Products Varies 

W Uninterruptible Power 

Backups Varies 

J" TeleVideo Software CALLH 

EllfeiJ! 

"A Higher Form of Software" 

24000 Telegraph Road 

Southfield, Ml 48034 

|313| 352-2345/Telex 386581 

VISA/MASTERCARD ACCEPTED 
Dealer Inquiries Welcomed 



ICs and Disk Drives 



64K / 126K / 256K 

D-RAMs at LOW PRICES 
TEAC FD-55BV DSDD Disk Drives 
189.00 each or 

•82.00 each for box of 10 
[w/one year factory warranty!] 
V-20/V-30 TURBO CHARGER 

* HIGH SPEED-Up to 40% increase! 

* CMOS— Uses 85% less power! 

* REPLACES slow 8088 CPU 

* LOW COST! 
MEMORY BOARDS 

*ABM SUPER80ARD w/QK 8125.00 

*ABM MEM512 w/OK 8 95.00 

*JRAM-2 w/OK 8148.00 

Expandable 2MB w/IDK 8148.00 

EPROM, S-R AM, 8087, and 80287a era IN STOCK 
CALL US FOR DETAILBI 



ExcelTec Industries, Inc. 

P.O. Box 2205 Silver Spring, MD 20902 
1015 Gayley Ave. #422, Los Angeles, CA 90024 



West Coast East Coast 

Phone: (213)208-6942 (301)933-3523 

FAX: (213)208-6846 (301)933-3643 

OEMs and DEALERS are Invited 

CALL US FOR THE LATEST PRICES 



9-TRACK MAG. TAPE SUBSYSTEM 
FOR THE IBM PC/XT/AT 



!4757 




For information interchange, backup and archival storage. 
IBEX offers a 9-track. IBM format-compatible 'A" magnetic 
tape subsystem for the IBM PC, featuring: 

■ 42 MBytes on a single v^r^MV 

> IBM format 1600 cpf. )BEX COMPirrER CORR 

a Software for PC-DOS, 20741 Mar osi 

ue.nni; Chatsworth. CA 913U 

iwi& uus. (818) 709 . 8100 

TWX. 910-493-2071 



Inquiry 63 



Inquiry 128 



Inquiry 162 



I 



icro 
products 



nternational 714/898-0840 



i Telex: 887841 XORDATA HTBH Fax: 714/897-3363 
► 15392 Assembly Lane, Unit A • Huntington Beach, CA 92649 < 



LOOK what ' s 

UVWIX Inside! 



5 Complete Systems 



Our, 1986 Catalog is 
HOT} off the press! 

/ [ v Dealers! Check our 
9 * Profitable Discount 

Pricing! 




The XAT is out most versatile and powerful 
system. Using Intel s 80286 processor, the 
system runs at 6 and 8 MHz with a true 
16-bit data bus. Comes standard with a 3 
me§ Add-On board, 2 parallel & one serial 
port, monitor, keyboard. DOS 3.1, two 
^height DS/DD 1.2 meg floppies. 




This standard system is as compatible with 
IBM as it can be. Featuring a 4-layer mother- 
board. 8-slot expansion, up to 640K 
memory on the motherboard, and the 6.67 
MHz TURBO mode. Also included: DOS 31. 
keyboard, 135 watt power supply, TTL 72t x 
348 resolution video card, green or amber 
monitor, serial & parallel ports. Real Time 
Clock and software. 




Mlilllllllllllilllllllll 

I . illli!l|!lllllil!f ~i 

!llil!lll|||||l!l|fii f | 

The perfect choice for the system integrator 
who needs the IBM compatibility, but not in 
the standard PC cabinet This model features 
hinged and removable sides, up to 3 ' zheight 
peripherals out front, Iron! mount AC switch 
and rear mount 200 watt power supply Also 
makes an ideal "Host" of "File Server' unit 
in multi-user configurations' 




The XTjr. is only junior in size' With up to 
640K memory on the motherboard and four 
expansion slots, this stand-alone system is 
also greal for workstations in a networking 
environment It can be upgraded to the 
TURBO two speed motherboard and you 
can also add up to 2 serial & 2 parallel ports 
or any IBM compatible expansion card A 
perfect word processing data entry system. 



Compact 




This is truly Ihe affordable portable, and we II 
build it to your specifications Need a 20 
meg hard disk and 20 meg tape with 640K 
memory in your compact portable"? Or how 
about a 2 (loppy Turbo system? No problem' 
The XPC Compact comes standard with a 
9 " green CRT driven by a color graphics 
card so you'll always have a RGB color out- 
put to externally run a color monitor 



Amsterdam ■ 020-45-26-50 



2 Meg Above Board 



24 Add-On Cards 




This board satisfies the new "Above Board" approach 
suggested by INTEL and Lotus 1-2-3 Also may be used 
on our XT-SBC TURBO board for memory based at (K 



Hard Disk Controller 



Handles 1 or 2 drives. 5 to 140 megabytes with mini- 
mum software configuration. Features DOS 21 & 3 1 
compatibility, and ST-506 Interface 



384K Multi-Function 



Features Parallel Port. Serial Port. Game Port. 
Clock Calendar. Expand to 384K all cables. Print- 
Spooler and RAM Disk Software. 



Germany 



4 Meg Token Ring 




Connect your workstation to an existing 4 Megabyte 
IBM token ring system or build up your own IEEE 802 5 
standard system The lowest possible cost for 
100'l industry standard compatibility 



AT H.D. & Floppy 




This new combo board with its Ivspeed VLSI technology 
will give you a data transfer rate 50% than the existing 
combo board in the AT. Runs both 360K and 1.2 meg 
floppy disk drives 



Mono & Color Graphics 



Supports two levels o f graphics and text in 
monochrome or color Low resolution 320 x 200 pixel, 
high resolution 640 x 200 pixel 



7 PAK Multi-Function 



Features Floppy Controller, Parallel Port. Serial Port 
(optional 2nd Serial). Game Port. Clock Calendar. RAM- 
disk. PrmtSpooler. all cables & manuals 



35 Components 



PROM Laser 



Hi-speedalgorithmes will burn 2716, 2 732 2 732A. 
2764 (m 52 sec) 27 128. 27 256 EPROMS under soft- 
ware control right in your PC 



Bombay ■ 357172 



Motherboards 

XAT TURBO XT-SBC 




• RTC Calendar • 4 77 & 8 MHz clock 

• 6 8. & 10MHz clock • Serial & Parallel 

» 8-slol expansion • 4-layer PCB design 

• Intel 80286 • RTC Calendar 

XPC TURBO XPC-XT 




4 77* 6.67 MHZ • Standard 4.77 MHz 

A ti,,a, Of*0 rt^r-.*,* m ... 1. C 1AI/ _>..., 



<* i r t> o.or iwni 

4-layer PCB design • up to 640K memory 

8-slot expansion • 8-slot expansion 

up to 640K Memory • standard 8088 CPU 

6088-2 processor ■ 8087 socket avail 



Power Supplys 

XT 135 watt XTC-Black 



■ 



^ 



Rear Mount 
Rear On OH switch 
extra AC outlets 
+ 5V-15A -5V-.5A 
+ 12V-4A,-.!2V-.5A 



• 135w swilchmg « 

• Whisper Fan « 

• Side AC switch « 

• + 5V-15A-5V-5A • 

• + 12V-4.2A/-12V-.5A" 

AT 200 watt XT 150 watt 

Whisper fan 
Hi-outpul 150 wait 
4 DC connectors 
+ 5V-15A -5V-.5A 
+ 12V-5 5A-12V-5A 




' 200 Watt power 
i Exterior AC switch 
i 4 DC power conn. 
• +5V-20A -5V-5A 
+ 12V-7.7A.-12V-.5A* 



Cabinets 



The XTjr. cabinet is only 3 " x 16 5 " x 15 \< 
will hold a standard XT compatible molherboa 
Includes a swilchmg power supply Front pane 
cut-out for a half-height (loppy or hard disk 



Our XPC-XT cabinet has an 8-slot back panel 
with additional cut-outs tor two RS-232 I/O ports 
Features mounting tor up to lour hnll height 
peripherals. 



The right choice lor an external add-on cabinet' 
Add-on a floppy, tape back-up, or up to 33 meg of 
hard disk (half-height) Switching power supply is 
included. 



Keyboards 

AT iSlp^'i 

This Keyboard is standard equipment with all 
of out XAT systems, but the layout is so well 
liked, we're offering it here _ 

XT /!§.' PI 



Our volume purchases of these IBM style 
unitsallows us to lowerthepriceonce again 



5151 






Now a fully selectric unit at an alfordable 
price. Features a tOkey numeric pad & a 
separate cursor pad. 



Drives 

Archive 

Irwin 

Maxtor 

Memtek 

Miniscribe 

Panasonic 

Seagate 

TEAC 

l\ilin 



3 Sub-Systems 3 Networks Cassette Training Int/Ext Modems 




Choose from single !?height, dual 'rheight. or '/iheight 
with lull heigh! base. All Sub-systems include con- 
trollers, cables, software, and manuals. 







One way to stay ahead of the competition is by using a Mulh- 
User or Network system configuration from Micro Products 
International. Choose Hi-speed RS-232 • XOR-NET 
SDLC or Token Ring Data transfer rales up to 4 megabytes/ 
second can be obtained. 




What is the Cassette Training concept? Using Interactive 
Audio Training to combine the advantage of classroom and 
sell-teaching methods. 

The Method One audio track delivers a lecture explaining 
the program, while the second track emulates the keyboard. 
actually runs Ihe student's computer Al frequent intervals the 
tape pauses automatically to allow the student keyboard 
input, which is monitored for accuracy by the MITS COED 




• FCC approved direct 
RJ-11 connection 

• Phone Cable a Power Supply 
Finally a price breakthrough on i 
30 1200 baud modem Our low p 
software |MSHHH|jH 



• Runs Ihe popular 
Hayes communications 
software 



■M- 1 



• XCOM software 
included 

• All cables included 
We included every feature you would want in a modem card 
It's FCC registered for direct connection to your modular 
phone jack with the cord included 



Inquiry 238 




PORTABLE MEMORY 
EXPANSIONS 

8K MEMORY MODULES $29 

For Model 100, NEC PC-8201A 
& Olivetti M10 

24K MEMORY MODULES $99 

For Tandy 200 

128K SIDESTAR $399 

A Ram Disk Cartridge for the NEC Starlet 

128K SIDECAR $259 

Ram Cartridge tor the NEC PC-8201A 

TTXpress 1280 $99 

Portable Thermal Printer— 2.2 lbs., bat. oper. 
FREE SHIPPING IN USA 

(800) 732-5012 (805) 987-4788 (in Calif.) 

VISA MIC & 
AM E R.EXP. 
420 Constitution Ave., Camarillo, CA 93010 



//^COMPUTING 



Inquiry 429 



FREE SOFTWARE 

FROM THE PUBLIC DOMAIN 

User Group Software isn't copyrighted, so no fees to 
pay! 1000's of CP/M and IBM software programs in 
.COM and source code to copy yourself! Games, 



Buy 
850. 
475. 
675. 
250. 
100. 
200. 
200. 
200. 



business, utilities! All FREE! 

Rent 

IBMPC-SIG 1-390 Disksides 410. 

IBMPC-BLUE 1-154 Disksides 175. 

SIG/M UG 1-246 Disksides 160. 

CP/M UG 1-92 Disksides 45. 

PICO NET 1-34 Disksides 25. 

KAYPRO UG 1-54 Disksides 65. 

EPSON UG 1-52 Disksides 65. 

Commodore CBM 1-93 Disksides. . 100. 
Public Domain User Group Catalog Disk $5 pp. 

(payment in advance, please) 
Rental is for 7 days after receipt, 3 days grace to 

return. Use a credit card, no disk deposit. 

Shipping, handling & insurance $9.50 per library. 

(619) 941-0925 Orders & Technical (9 to 5) 

(619) 727-1015 24 Hr. 3 Min. Info Recording 

Have your credit card ready! 

National Public Domain Software 

1533 Avohill Dr. 
Vista, CA 92083 

800-621-5460 
then dial 
782-542 



BBB 



AM EX 



Inquiry 261 



5W 



te 



^ 



FLEXYDISKS 



$ 1.15ea 1 


.11, 


1 .O^ea 


.54 


$ 3.29ea $ 


3.19 


$ 2.35ea $ 


2.25 



ea 



fea 



ea 



SS/DD 
Soft 

DS/DD 
Soft 

High Density 
(IBM-ATI 

3.5/SS 
Micro 

In Stock — Immediate Shipment. 

Mastercard, VISA, Check or Money Order. 

Add $3.00 shipping charges per each 100 or part. 

Add $2.50 additional for C.O.D. shipments. 

N.J. residents add 6% sales tax. 

Data Exchange 

Dept. B, P.O. Box 993 
178 Route 206 South 
Somerville, N.J. 08876 

(201) 874-5050 



Inquiry 395 




age 6 5 

years worked 40 
retirement benefits 

The U.S. Department of Labor has a free 
booklet that will help you answer these 
questions and a lot more. Send for it today. 

Write: Pensions, Consumer Information 

Center, Pueblo, Colorado 81009 

U.S. Department of Labor 




! 



jSaleSIu^ 



KEYBOARD PROTECTOR 
Remains in place during keyboard use. Prevents 
damage from liquid spills, dust, ashes, etc. Fits 
like a second skin, excellent feel. Available for: 
IBM-PC, AT, Apple (all), Compaq, Model 100, 
NEC 8201, C64, Zenith 150, DEC, Kaypro and 
many others, Send $29.95, check, M.O., Visa 
& MC include exp. date. Specify computer type. 
Dealer inquiries invited. Free brochure avail. 

Merritt Computer Products, Inc. 

2925LBJFwy. #180 / Dallas, Texas 75234 

(214) 942-1142 



Inquiry 2 32 



BUY 

UNITED 

STATES 

SAVINGS 

BONDS 




1 


1 


Exxon 


2 


General Motors 


3 


Mobil 


4 


Ford Motor 


5 


IBM 


6 


Texaco 


7 


E.I. du Pont 


8 


Standard Oil (Ind.) 


9 


Standard Oil of Cat 


10 


General Electric 


11 


Gulf Oil 


12 


Atlantic Richfield 


13 


Shell Oil 


14 


Occidental Petroleum 


15 


U.S. Steel 


16 


Phillips Petroleum 





million 
Americans 
can't read. 
And guess 
who pays 
the price. 



Every year, functional 
illiteracy costs American 
business billions. 

But your company can 
fight back... by joining 
your local community's 
fight against illiteracy. 
Call the Coalition for 
Literacy at toll-free 
1-800-228-8813 and find 
out how. 

You may find it's the 
greatest cost-saving 
measure your company 
has ever taken. 

A literate 

America is a 

good investment 



o 

Coalition for Literacy 




m\ 

Gxnci 



BUILD YOUR OWN XT COMPATIBLE SYSTEM 



640K 

XT COMPATIBLE 

MOTHERBOARD 

ONLY $ 1 69 

• 4.77 MHz 8088 CPU, OPTIONAL 
8087 CO-PROCESSOR 

• 8 EXPANSION SLOTS 

• OK RAM INSTALLED, EXPAND- 
ABLE TO 640K ON-BOARD 
MEMORY 

• ALL ICs SOCKETED— HIGHEST 
QUALITY PC BOARD 

• ACCEPTS 2764 OR 27128 ROMS 

Compatible with all IBM PC/XT 
hardware and software. Use with 
our flip-top case, power supply and 
other accessories to build a com- 
plete XT compatible system. 

PRO-BIOS $29^ 

IBM XT Compatible BIOS runs virtually all IBM software, even Sidekick! 
EXTRA FEATURES: Control colors from DOS 

Park heads on the hard disk with Control-Alternate-Break 




HARO BISK 
SYSTEMS 



MIHISCRIBE/SHUGART 
10 MEGABYTE HALF HEIGHT 

SEAGATE ST-225 
20 MEGABYTE HALF HEIGHT 



$395 
$525 



Includes short slot HD controller, cables, 
mounting hardware and instructions. All 
drives are pre-tested. One year warranty. 




VISIT OUR RETAIL STORE LOCATED AT 1256 SOUTH BASCOM AVENUE IN SAN JOSE 



I ■ 1224 S. Bascom Avenue, San Jose, CA 95128 
800-538-5000 • 800-662-6279 (CA) • (408) 995-5430 
FAX (408) 275-8415 • Telex 171-110 



HOURS: M-W-F, 9-5 TU-TH, 9-9 SAT, 10-3 

PLEASE USE YOUR CUSTOMER NUMBER WHEN ORDERING 

TERMS: Minimum order $10.00. For shipping and handling ind-ide $2.50 (or UPS 
Ground and $3.50 (or UPS Air. Orders over 1 lb. and Ion 
additional shipping charges - please contact our sales department lor the a 
residents musl include applicable sales tan. All merchandise is warranted lor 90 days 
unless otherwise stated. Prices are subject to change without notice. We are not 
responsible tor typographical errors. We reserve the right to limit quantities and lo 
substitute manufacturer. All merchandise subject to prior sale. 



© Copyright 1985 JDR Microdevices 



Inquiry 182 



JANUARY 1986 • BYTE 455 



4164 2oons 690 





STATIC RAMS 




2101 


256x4 


(450ns) 


1.95 


| 5101 


256x4 


(450ns)(CMOS) 


3.95 


2102L-4 


1024x1 


(450ns)(LP) 


.99 


2102L-2 


1024x1 


(250ns)(LP) 


1.45 


2112 


256x4 


(450ns) 


2.99 


2114 


1024x4 


(450ns) 


.99 


2114L-4 


1024x4 


(450ns)(LP) 


1.09 


2114L-2 


1024x4 


(200ns)(LP) 


1.49 


2114L-15 


1024x4 


(150ns)(LP) 


1.95 


TMS4044-4 


4096x1 


(450ns) 


1.95 


TMM2016-150 


2048x8 


(150ns) 


1.49 


TMM2016-100 


2048x8 


(100ns) 


1.95 


HM6116-4 


2048x8 


(200ns)(CMOS) 


1.39 


HM6116-3 


2048x8 


(150ns)(CMOS) 


1.49 


HM6116LP-4 


2048x8 


(200ns)(CMOS)(LP) 


1.49 


HM6116LP-3 


2048x8 


(150ns)(CMOS)(LP) 


1.59 


HM6116LP-2 


2048x8 


(120ns)(CMOS)(LP) 


2.95 


HM6264P-15 


8192x8 


(150ns)(CMOS) 


3.89 


HM6264LP-15 


8192x8 


(150ns)(CMOS)(LP) 


3.95 


HM6264LP 12 


8192x8 


(120ns)(CMOS)(LP) 


4.49 


LP=Lovw power 








DYNAMIC RAMS 




4116-250 


16384x1 


(250ns) 


.49 


4116-200 


16384x1 


(200ns) 


.69 


4116-150 


16384x1 


(150ns) 


.89 


4116-120 


16384x1 


(120ns) 


1.49 


MK4332 


32768x1 


(200ns) 


6.95 


4164-200 


65536x1 


(200ns)(5V) 


.69 


4164-150 


65536x1 


(150ns)(5V) 


.79 


4164-120 


65536x1 


(120ns)(5V) 


1.95 


MCM6665 


65536x1 


(200ns)(5V) 


1.95 


TMS4164 


65536x1 


(150ns)(5V) 


1.95 


4164-REFRESH 


65536x1 


(150ns)(5V)(REFRESH) 2.95 


TMS4416 


16384x4 


(150ns)(5V) 


4.95 


41128-150 


131072x1 


(150ns)(5V) 


5.95 


41256-200 


262144x1 


(200ns)(5V) 


2.95 


41256-150 


262144x1 


(150ns)(5V) 


2.95 


L 5V=Single 5 Volt Supply 


REFRESH=Pin 1 Refresh 



41256 150ns $2.95 



• •••HIGH-TECH**** 
NECV20 UPD70108 $2095 

REPLACES B06B TO SPEED UP IBM PC 1(M0% 

• HIGH-SPEED ADDRESS CALCULATION 
IN HARDWARE 

• PIN COMPATIBLE WITH 8088 

• SUPERSET OF 8086/8088 INSTRUCTION 
SET 

• LOW POWER CMOS 

8 MHZ V20 UPD70108-8 $24.95 
8 MHZ V30 UPD70116-8 $26.95 

• •••SPOTLIGHT**** 



ORDER TOLL FREE 



.iTiTiBftliMiliIi: 



800-662-6279, 



EPROMS 



2708 
| 2716-6 

2716 
I 2716-1 

TMS2532 

2732 

2732A 

2732A-2 

27C64 
I 2764 
! 2764-250 

2764-200 

TMS2564 

MCM68766 

27128 

27C256 
1 27256 

5V=Single 5 



1024x8 

2048x8 

2048x8 

2048x8 

4096x8 

4096x8 

4096x8 

4096x8 

8192x8 

8192x8 

8192x8 

8192x8 

8192x8 

8192x8 

16384x8 

32768x8 

32768x8 

Volt Supply 



(450ns) 

(650ns) 

(450ns)(5V) 

(350ns)(5V) 

(450ns)(5V) 

(450ns)(5V) 

(250ns)(5V)(21VPGM) 

(200ns)(5V)(21V PGM) 

(250ns)(5V)(CMOS) 

(450ns)(5V) 

(250ns)(5V) 

(200ns)(5V) 

(450ns)(5V) 

(350ns)(5V)(24 PIN) 

(250ns)(5V) 

(250ns)(5V)(CMOS) 

(250ns)(5V) 



3.95 
2.29 
1.95 
2.49 
3.95 
2.29 
2.69 
3.95 
5.95 
1.95 
2.49 
3.49 
8.95 

17.95 
2.79 

12.95 
7.49 



21V PGM=Program at 21 Volts 



fl?£SEE!E£ EPRI 1 ERASERS 



■ CORPORATION 

00 




Model 


Timer 


Capacity 

Chip 


Intensity 

(uW/Cm 2 ) 


Unit 
Price 


PE-14 


NO 


9 


8,000 


S83.00 


PE-14T 


YES 


9 


8,000 


S119.00 


PE-24T 


YES 


12 


9,600 


S175.00 



8000 



8035 


1.49 


8039 


1.95 


8080 


2.95 


8085 


2.49 


8087-2 


139.95 


8087 


109.00 


8088 


6.95 


8088-2 


9.95 


8155 


2.49 


8155-2 


3.95 


8748 


7.95 


8755 


1995 


80286 


129.95 


80287 


185.00 



6500 

1.0MHZ 

6502 2.79 

65C02ICMOS) 12.95 



CRT 
CONTROLLERS 



CRYSTALS 



74LS00 



8200 



8203 
8205 
8212 
8216 

| 8224 
8237 
8237-5 
8250 
8251 
8251A 
8253 
8253-5 
8255 
8255-5 
8259 
8259-5 

I 8272 
8279 

| 8279-5 
8282 
8284 
8286 

L 8288 



29.95 
3.29 
1.49 
1.49 
2.25 
4.95 
5.49 
6.95 
1.69 
1.89 
1.89 
1.95 
1.69 
1.89 
1.95 
2.29 
4.95 
2.49 
2.95 
3.95 
2.95 
3.95 
4.95 J 



6507 


9.95 


6520 


1.95 


6522 


4.95 


6526 


26.95 


6532 


6.95 


6545 


6.95 


6551 


5.95 


6561 


19.95 


6581 


34.95 


2.0 MHZ 


6502A 


2.95 


6520A 


2.95 


6522A 


5.95 


6532A 


11.95 


6545A 


7.95 


6551A 


6.95 



6845 
68B45 
6847 

HD46505SP 
MCI 372 
8275 
7220 
CRT5027 
CRT5037 
L TMS9918A 



4.95 
8.95 
11.95 
6.95 
2.95 
26.95 
19.95 
12.95 
9.95 
19.95 



3.0 MHZ 

6502B 6.95 

6800 

1.0MHZ 



Z-80 



6800 

6802 

6803 

6809 

6809E 

6810 

6820 

6821 

6840 

6843 

6844 

6845 

6847 

6850 

6883 



1.95 
4.95 
9.95 
5.95 
5.95 
1.95 
2.95 
1.95 
6.95 

19.95 

12.95 
4.95 

11.95 
1.95 

22.95 



DISK 




CONTROLLERS 


1771 


4.95 


1791 


9.95 


1793 


9.95 


1795 


12.95 


1797 


12.95 


2791 


19.95 


2793 


19.95 


2797 


29.95 


6843 


19.95 


8272 


4.95 


UPD765 


4.95 


MB8876 


12.95 


MB8877 


12.95 


1691 


6.95 


2143 


6.95 




BIT RATE 


GENERATORS 



32.768 KHz 

1.0 MHz 

1.8432 

2.0 

2.097152 

2.4576 

3.2768 

3.579545 

4.0 

4.032 

5.0 I 

5.0688 

6.0 

6.144 

6.5536 

8.0 
10.0 

10.738635 
12.0 

14.31818 
15.0 
16.0 
17.430 
18.0 
18.432 
20.0 
22.1184 
24.0 
32.0 



.95 
2.95 
2.95 
1.95 
1.95 
1.95 
1.95 
1.95 
1.95 
1.95 
1.95 
1.95 
1.95 
1.95 
1.95 
1.95 
1.95 
1.95 
1.95 
1.95 
1.95 
1.95 
1.95 
1.95 
1.95 
1.95 
1.95 
1.95 
1.95 



CRYSTAL 
OSCILLATORS 



MC14411 9.95 

BR1941 4.95 

4702 9.95 

COM8116 8.95 

l MM5307 4.95 



| Z80-CPU2 5MHz1.79 

4.0 MHZ 

I ZSOA-CPU 

Z80A-CTC 

Z80A-DART 

Z80A-DMA 

Z80A-PIO 

Z80A-SIO 
I Z80A-SIO 1 
l Z80A-SIO/2 



2.0 MHZ 



1.89 
1.95 
5.95 
5.95 
1.95 
5.95 
5.95 
5.95 



68B00 
68B02 
68B09E 
68B09 
6SB21 
68B45 
68B50 
1 68B54 



4.95 
5.95 
7.95 
7.95 
4.95 
8.95 
3.95 
7.95 A 



UARTS 



AY5-1013 
AY3-1015 
TR1602 
2651 

IM6402 

IM6403 

. INS8250 



3.95 
4.95 
3.95 
4.95 
6.95 
9.95 
6.95 , 



1.0MHz 

1.8432 
I 2.0 

2.4576 

2.5 

4.0 

5.0688 

6.0 

6.144 

8.0 

10.0 

12.0 

12.480 

15.0 

16.0 

18.432 

20.0 
L 24.0 



5.95 
5.95 
5.95 
5.95 
4.95 
4.95 
4.95 
4.95 
4.95 
4.95 
4.95 
4.95 
4.95 
4.95 
4.95 
4.95 
4.95 
4.95 . 



MISC. 



6.0 MHZ 



Z80B-CPU 
Z80B-CTC 
Z80B-PIO 
Z80B-DART 
Z80B-SIO/0 
Z80B-SIO/2 
LZ8671 ZILOG 



4.95 
8.95 
8.95 
14.95 
12.95 
12.95 
19.95 J 



CLOCK 
CIRCUITS 

MM5369 1.95 

MM5369-EST 1.95 
MM58167 12.95 
MM58174 11.95 
. MSM5832 2.95 , 



SOUND CHIPS 



76477 
76489 
SSI-263 
AY3-8910 
AY3-8912 
L SP1000 



3.95 
8.95 
39.95 
12.95 
12.95 
39.00 J 



TMS99531 
TMS99532 
ULN2003 
3242 
3341 
MC3470 
MC3480 
MC3487 
11C90 
2513-001 UP 
AY5-2376 
1 AY5-3600 PR0 11.95 I 



9.95 

19.95 

.79 

7.95 

4.95 

1.95 

8.95 

2.95 

13.95 

6.95 

11.95 



74LS00 


.16 


74LS01 


.18 


74LS02 


.17 


74LS03 


.18 


74LS04 


.16 


74LS05 


.18 


74LS08 


.18 


74LS09 


.18 


74LS10 


.16 


74LS1 1 


.22 


74LS12 


.22 


74LS13 


.26 


74LS14 


.39 


74LS15 


26 


74LS20 


.17 


74LS21 


.22 


74LS22 


.22 


74LS27 


.23 


74LS28 


.26 


74LS30 


.17 


74LS32 


.18 


74LS33 


.28 


74LS37 


.26 


74LS38 


.26 


74LS42 


.39 


74LS47 


.59 


74LS48 


.69 


74LS51 


.17 


74LS73 


.29 


74LS74 


.24 


74LS75 


.29 


74LS76 


.29 


74LS83 


.49 


74LS85 


.49 


74LS86 


.22 


74LS90 


.39 


74LS92 


.49 


74LS93 


.39 


74LS95 


.49 


74LS107 


.34 


74LS109 


.36 


74LS112 


.29 


74LS122 


.45 


74LS123 


.49 


74LS124 


2.75 


74LS125 


.39 


74LS126 


.39 


74LS132 


.39 


74LS133 


.49 


74LS136 


.39 


74LS138 


.39 


74LS139 


.39 


74LS145 


.99 


74LS147 


.99 


74LS148 


.99 


74LS151 


.39 


74LS153 


.39 


74LS154 


1.49 


74LS155 


.59 


74LS156 


.49 


74LS157 


.35 


74LS158 


.29 


74LS160 


.29 


74LS161 


.39 


74LS162 


.49 


74LS163 


.39 


74LS164 


.49 



.65 
.95 
.95 
.49 
.39 
.39 
.49 



.69 
.69 
.59 
.59 
.59 
.69 
.69 
.69 
.69 
.69 
.79 
.49 



74LS165 
74LS166 
74LS169 
74LS173 
74LS174 
74LS175 
74LS191 
74LS192 
74LS193 
74LS194 
74LS195 
74LS196 
74LS197 
74LS221 
74LS240 
74LS241 
74LS242 
74LS243 
74LS244 
74LS245 
74LS251 
74LS253 
74LS256 1.79 
74LS257 .39 
74LS258 .49 
74LS259 1.29 
74LS260 .49 
74LS266 .39 
74LS273 .79 
74LS279 .39 
74LS280 1.98 
74LS283 .59 
74LS290 .89 
74LS293 .89 
74LS299 1.49 
74LS322 3.95 
74LS323 2.49 
74LS364 1.95 
74LS365 .39 
74LS367 
74LS368 
74LS373 
74LS374 
74LS375 
74LS377 
74LS378 1.18 
74LS390 1.19 
74LS393 .79 
74LS541 1.49 
74LS624 1.95 
74LS640 .99 
74LS645 .99 
74LS669 1.29 
74LS670 .89 
74LS682 3.20 
74LS683 3.20 
74LS684 3.20 
74LS688 2.40 
74LS783 22.95 
81LS95 1.49 
81LS96 1.49 
81LS97 1.49 
81LS98 1.49 
25LS2521 2.80 
25LS2569 2.80 
26LS31 1.95 
26LS32 1.95 



.39 
.39 
.79 
.79 
.95 
.79 



HIGH SPEED CMOS 

A new family of high speed CMOS logic featuring 
the speed of low power Scnottky (8ns typical gate 
propagation delay), combined with the advantages of 
CMOS: very low power consumption, supeiior noise 
immunity, and improved output drive. 

74HC00 

74HC: Operate at CMOS logic levels and are ideal 
for new. all-CMOS designs. 



74HC00 

74HC02 

74HC04 

74HC08 

74HC10 

74HC14 

74HC20 

74HC27 

74HC30 

74HC32 

74HC51 

74HC74 

74HC85 

74HC86 

74HC93 

74HC107 

74HC109 

74HC112 

74HC125 

74HC132 

74HC133 

74HC138 

74HC139 



.59 
.59 
.59 
.59 
.59 
.79 
.59 
.59 
.59 
.69 
.59 
.75 

1.35 
.69 

1.19 
.79 
.79 
.79 

1.19 

1.19 
.69 
.99 



74HC148 

74HC151 

74HC154 

74HC157 

74HC158 

74HC163 

74HC175 

74HC240 

74HC244 

74HC245 

74HC257 

74HC259 

74HC273 

74HC299 

74HC368 

74HC373 

74HC374 

74HC390 

74HC393 

74HC4017 

74HC4020 

74HC4049 

74HC4050 



1.19 

.89 

2.49 

.89 

.95 

1.15 

.99 

1.89 

1.89 

1.89 

.85 

1.39 

1.89 

4.99 

.99 

2.29 

2.29 

1.39 

1.39 

1.99 

1.39 

.89 

.89 



74HCT00 



74HCT: Direct, drop-in replacements for LS TTL 
and can be intermixed with 74LS in the same circuit. 



74HCT00 

74HCT02 

74HCT04 

74HCT08 

74HCT10 

74HCT11 

74HCT27 

74HCT30 

74HCT32 

74HCT74 

74HCT75 

74HCT138 

74HCT139 

74HCT154 

74HCT157 

74HCT158 

74HCT161 

74HCT164 



74F00 .69 

74F02 .69 

74F04 .79 

74F08 .69 

74F10 .69 

74F32 .69 

L 74F64 .89 



.69 

.69 

.79 

.85 

.95 

1.15 

1.15 

2.99 

.99 

.99 

1.29 

1.39 



74HCT166 

74HCT174 

74HCT193 

74HCT194 

74HCT240 

74HCT241 

74HCT244 

74HCT245 

74HCT257 

74HCT259 

74HCT273 

74HCT367 

74HCT373 

74HCT374 

74HCT393 

74HCT4017 

74HCT4040 

74HCT4060 



3.05 
1.09 
1.39 
1.19 
2.19 
2.19 
2.19 
2.19 
.99 
1.59 
2.09 
1.09 
2.49 
2.49 
1.59 
2.19 
1.59 
1.49 . 



74F00 

74F74 .79 
74F86 .99 
74F138 1.69 
74F139 1.69 
74F157 1.69 
74F240 3.29 
74F244 3.29 



74F251 1.69 
74F253 1.69 
74F257 1,69 
74F280 1.79 
74F283 3.95 
74F373 4.29 
74F374 4.29 1 



VISIT OUR RETAIL STORE LOCATED AT 1256 SOUTH BASCOM AVENUE IN SAN JOSE 



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456 BYTE • JANUARY 1 986 



Inquiry I83 



PARTIAL LISTING ONLY — CALL FOR A FREE CATALOG 



CMOS 



7400/9000 



4001 


.19 


14419 4.95 


7400 


.19 


74147 


2.49 ■ 


74S00 


.29 


74S163 


1.29 


4011 


.19 


14433 14.95 


7402 


.19 


74148 


1.20 ■ 


74S02 


.29 


74S168 


3.95 


4012 


.25 


4503 .49 


7404 


.19 


74150 


1.35 ■ 


74S03 


.29 


74S174 


.79 


4013 


.35 


4511 .69 


7406 


.29 


74151 


.55 ■ 


74S04 


.29 


74S175 


.79 


4015 


.29 


4516 .79 


7407 


.29 


74153 


.55 ■ 


74S05 


.29 


74S188 


1.95 


4016 


.29 


4518 .85 


7408 


.24 


74154 


1.49 ■ 


74S08 


.35 


74S189 


1.95 


4017 


.49 


4522 .79 


7410 


.19 


74155 


.75 ■ 


74S10 


.29 


74S195 


1.49 


4018 


.69 


4526 .79 


7411 


.25 


74157 


.55 ■ 


74S15 


.35 


74S196 


1.49 


4020 


.59 


4527 1.95 


7414 


.49 


74159 


1.65 ■ 


74S30 


.29 


74S197 


1.49 


4021 


.69 


4528 .79 


7416 


25 


74161 


.69 ■ 


74S32 


.35 


74S226 


3.99 


4024 


.49 


4529 2.95 


7417 


.25 


74163 


.69 ■ 


74S37 


.69 


74S240 


1.49 


4025 


.25 


4532 1.95 


7420 


.19 


74164 


.85 ■ 


74S38 


.69 


74S241 


1.49 


4027 


.39 


4538 .95 


7423 


.29 


74165 


.85 ■ 


74S74 


.49 


74S244 


1.49 


4028 


.65 


4541 1 .29 


7430 


.19 


74166 


1.00 ■ 


74S85 


.95 


74S257 


.79 


4035 


69 


4553 5.79 


7432 


.29 


74175 


.89 ■ 


74S86 


.35 


74S253 


.79 


4040 


.69 


4585 .75 


7438 


.29 


74177 


.75 ■ 


74S112 


.50 


74S258 


.95 


4041 


.75 


4702 12.95 


7442 


.49 


74178 


1.15 B 


74S124 


2.75 


74S280 


1.95 


4042 


.59 


74C00 .29 


7445 


.69 


74181 


2.25 ■ 


74S138 


.79 


74S287 


1.69 


4043 


.85 


74C14 .59 


7447 


.89 


74182 


.75 ■ 


74S140 


.55 


74S288 


1.69 


4044 


.69 


74C74 .59 


7470 


.35 


74184 


2.00 ■ 


74S151 


.79 


74S299 


2.95 


4045 


1.98 


74C83 1.95 


7473 


.34 


74191 


1.15 ■ 


74S153 


.79 


74S373 


1.69 


4046 


.69 


74C85 1.49 


7474 


.33 


74192 


.79 ■ 


74S157 


.79 


74S374 


1.69 


4047 


.69 


74C95 .99 


7475 


.45 


74194 


.85 ■ 


74S158 


.95 


74S471 


4.95 


4049 
4050 
4051 


.29 
.29 
.69 
.69 


74C150 5.75 
74C151 2.25 
74C161 .99 
74C163 .99 


7476 
7483 
7485 
7486 


.35 
.50 
.59 
.35 


74196 
74197 
74199 
74221 


.79 ■ 
.75 ■ 
1.35 ■ 
1.35 ■ 


74S161 


1.29 


74S571 


2.95 




4052 










4053 
4056 


.69 
2.19 


74C164 1.39 
74C192 1.49 


7489 
7490 


2.15 
.39 


74246 
74247 


1.35 ■ 
1.25 ■ 


DATA ACQ 


INTERFACE 


4060 


.69 


74C193 1.49 


7492 


.50 


74248 


1.85 ■ 


ADC0800 15.55 


8T26 


1.29 


4066 


.29 


74C221 1.75 


7493 


.35 


74249 


1.95 ■ 


ADC0804 


3.49 


8T28 


1.29 


4069 


.19 


74C240 1.89 


7495 


.55 


74251 


.75 ■ 


ADC0809 


4.49 


8T95 


.89 


4076 


.59 


74C244 1.89 


7497 


2.75 


74265 


1.35 ■ 


ADC0816 14.95 


8T96 


.89 


4077 


.29 


74C374 1.99 


74100 


2.29 


74273 


1.95 ■ 


ADC0817 


9.95 


8T97 


.59 


4081 


.22 


74C905 10.95 


74121 


.29 


74278 


3.11 I 


ADC0831 


8.95 


8T98 


.89 


4085 


.79 


74C911 8.95 


74123 


.49 


74367 


.65 ■ 


DAC0800 


4.49 


DM8131 


2.95 


4086 


.89 


74C917 8.95 


74125 


.45 


74368 


.65 ■ 


DAC0806 


1.95 


DP8304 


2.29 


4093 


.49 


74C922 4.49 


74141 


.65 


9368 


3.95 ■ 


DAC0808 


2.95 


DS8833 


2.25 


4094 


2.49 


74C923 4.95 


74143 


5.95 


9602 


1.50 ■ 


DAC1020 


8.25 


DS8835 


1.99 


14411 


9.95 


74C926 7.95 


74144 


2.95 


9637 


2.95 ■ 


DAC1022 


5.95 


DS8836 


.99 


14412 


6.95 


80C97 .95 


74145 


.60 


96S02 


1.95 ■ 


L MC1408L8 2.95 


DS8837 


1.65 



EDGECARD CONNECTORS 



100 


PIN ST 


S-100 


.125 


3.95 


100 


PIN WW 


S-100 


.125 


4,95 


62 


PIN ST 


IBM PC 


.100 


1.95 


50 


PIN ST 


APPLE 


.100 


2.95 


44 


PIN ST 


STD 


.156 


1.95 


44 


PIN WW 


STD 


.156 


4.95 



36 PIN CENTRONICS 

MALE 

IDCEN36 RIBBON CABLE 6.95 

CEN36 SOLDER CUP 4.95 

| CEN36PC RT ANGLE PC MOUNT 4.95 

FEMALE 

JDCEN36/F RIBBON CABLE 7.95, 



INTERSIL 



ICL7106 


9.95 


ICL7107 


12.95 


ICL7660 


2.95 


ICL8038 


4.95 


ICM7207A 


5.95 


1CM7208 


15.95 



VOLTAGE 
REGULATORS 

TO-220 CASE 

I 7805T .49 7905T .59 

7808T .49 7908T .59 

7812T .49 7912T .59 

| 7815T .49 7915T .59 

TO-3 CASE 

I 7805K 1.39 7905K 1.49 
| 7812K 1.39 7912K 1.49 

TO-92 CASE 

78L05 .49 79L05 .69 
78L12 .49 79L12 .69 

OTHER VOLTAGE REGS 

LM323K5V 3A TO-3 4.79 
LM338KAdj.5A TO-3 3.95 

| 78H05K5V 5A TO-3 7.95 
78H12K 12V5A TO 3 8.95 

L 78P05K 5V 10A TO-3 14.95 



LINEAR 



[ IC SOCKETS 






1-99 


100 


8 PIN ST 


.11 


.10 


14 PIN ST 


.11 


.09 


16 PIN ST 


.12 


.10 


18 PIN ST 


.15 


.13 


20 PIN ST 


.18 


.15 


22 PIN ST 


.15 


.12 


24 PIN ST 


.20 


.15 


28 PIN ST 


.22 


.16 


40 PIN ST 


.30 


.22 


64 PIN ST 


1.95 


1.49 


ST=SOLDERTAIL 




8 PIN WW 


.59 


.49 


14 PIN WW 


.69 


.52 


16 PIN WW 


.69 


.58 


18 PIN WW 


.99 


.90 


20 PIN WW 


1.09 


.98 


22 PIN WW 


1.39 


1.28 


24 PIN WW 


1.49 


1.35 


28 PIN WW 


1.69 


1.49 


40 PIN WW 


1.99 


1.80 


WW=WIREWRAP 




16 PIN ZIF 


4.95 


CALL 


24 PIN ZIF 


5.95 


CALL 


28 PIN ZIF 


6.95 


CALL 


40 PIN ZIF 


9.95 


CALL 


ZIF=TEXTOOL 




I (ZERO INSERTION FORCE) 



TL066 


.99 


LM733 


.98 


TL071 


.69 


LM741 


.29 


TL072 


1.09 


LM747 


.69 


TL074 


1.95 


LM748 


.59 


TL081 


.59 


MC1330 


1.69 


TL082 


.99 


MC1350 


1.19 


TL084 


1.49 


MC1372 


6.95 


LM301 


.34 


LM1414 


1.59 


LM309K 


1.25 


LM1458 


.49 


LM311 


.59 


LM1488 


.49 


LM311H 


.89 


LM1489 


.49 


LM317K 


3.49 


LM1496 


.85 


LM317T 


.95 


LM1812 


8.25 


LM318 


1.49 


LM1889 


1.95 


LM319 


1.25 


ULN2003 


.79 


LM320 see7900 


XR2206 


3.75 


LM322 


1.65 


XR2211 


2.95 


LM323K 


4.79 


XR2240 


1.95 


LM324 


.49 


MPQ2907 


1.95 


LM331 


3.95 


LM2917 


1.95 


LM334 


1.19 


CA3046 


.89 


LM335 


1.40 


CA3081 


.99 


LM336 


1.75 


CA3082 


.99 


LM337K 


3.95 


CA3086 


.80 


LM338K 


3.95 


CA3089 


1.95 


LM339 


.59 


CA3130E 


.99 


LM340 see7800 


CA3146 


1.29 


LM350T 


4.60 


CA3160 


1.19 


LF353 


.59 


MC3470 


1.95 


LF356 


.99 


MC3480 


8.95 


LF357 


.99 


MC3487 


2.95 


LM358 


59 


LM3900 


.49 


LM380 


.89 


LM3909 


.98 


LM383 


1.95 


LM3911 


2.25 


LM386 


.89 


LM3914 


2.39 


LM393 


.45 


MC4024 


3.49 


LM394H 


4.60 


MC4044 


3.99 


TL494 


4.20 


RC4136 


1.25 


TL497 


3.25 


RC4558 


.69 


NE555 


.29 


LM13600 


1.49 


NE556 


.49 


75107 


1.49 


NE558 


1.29 


75110 


1.95 


NE564 


1.95 


75150 


1.95 


LM565 


.95 


75154 


1.95 


LM566 


1.49 


75188 


1.25 


LM567 


.79 


75189 


1.25 


NE570 


2.95 


75451 


.39 


NE590 


2.50 


75452 


.39 


NE592 


.98 


75453 


.39 


LM710 


.75 


75477 


1.29 


LM723 


.49 


75492 


.79 


H=TO-5 CAN, K 


=TO-3. T=TO-220 





DIP CO 


INNECTORS 














DESCRIPTION 


ORDER BY 


CONTACTS 


8 


14 


16 


18 


20 


22 


24 


28 


40 


HIGH RELIABILITY TOOLED 
ST IC SOCKETS 


AUGATxxST 


.62 


.79 


.89 


1.09 


1.29 


1.39 


1.49 


1.69 


2.49 


HIGH RELIABILITY TOOLED 
WW IC SOCKETS 


AUGATxxWW 


1.30 


1.80 


2.10 


2.40 


2.50 


2.90 


3.15 


3.70 


5.40 


COMPONENT CARRIES 
(DIP HEADERS) 


ICCxx 


.49 


.59 


.69 


.99 


.99 


.99 


.99 


1.09 


1.49 


RIBBON CABLE 
DIP PLUGS (IDC) 


IDPxx 




.95 


.95 






- 


1.75 




2.95 




DIODES/OPTO/TRANSISTORS 



FOR ORDERING INSTRUCTIONS SEE D-SUBMINIA TURE BELOW 



\ \ \\ i m i m i 

AUGAT 24ST 





D-S 


UBMINIATURE 










DESCRIPTION 


ORDER BY 


CONTACTS 


9 


15 


19 


25 


37 


50 


SOLDER CUP 


MALE 


DBxxP 


.82 


.90 


1.25 


1.25 


1.80 


3.48 


FEMALE 


DBxxS 


.95 


1.15 


1.50 


1.50 


2.35 


4.32 


RIGHT ANGLE 
PC SOLDER 


MALE 


DBxxPR 


1.20 


1.49 




1.95 


2.65 




FEMALE 


DBxxSR 


1.25 


1.55 




2.00 


2.79 




WIRE WRAP 


MALE 


DBxxPWW 


1.69 


2.56 




3.89 


5.60 




FEMALE 


DBxxSWW 


2.76 


4.27 




6.84 


9.95 


— 


IDC 
RIBBON CABLE 


MALE 


IDBxxP 


2.70 


2.95 




3.98 


5.70 


_. 


FEMALE 


IDBxxS 


2.92 


3.20 




4.33 


6.76 




HOODS 


METAL 


MHOODxx 


1.25 


1.25 


1.30 


1.30 






GREY 


HOODxx 


.65 


.65 




.65 


.75 


.95 



ORDERING INSTRUCTIONS: INSERT THE NUMBER OF CONTACTS IN THE POSITION 
| MARKED "xx" OF THE "ORDER BY" PART NUMBER LISTED. 
EXAMPLE: A 15 PIN RIGHT ANGLE MALE PC SOLDER WOULD BE DB15PR. 



MOUNTING HARDWARE $1.00 




IDC CONNECTORS 



DESCRIPTION 


ORDER BY 


CONTACTS 


10 


20 


26 


34 


40 


50 


SOLDER HEADER 


IDHxxS 


.82 


1.29 


1.68 


2.20 


2.58 


3.24 


RIGHT ANGLE SOLDER HEADER 


IDHxxSR 


.85 


1.35 


1.76 


2.31 


2.72 


3.39 


WW HEADER 


IDHxxW 


1.86 


2.98 


3.84 


4.50 


5.28 


6.63 


RIGHT ANGLE WW HEADER 


IDHxxWR 


2.05 


3.28 


4.22 


4.45 


4.80 


7.30 


RIBBON HEADER SOCKET 


IDSxx 


.79 


.99 


1.39 


1.59 


1.99 


2.25 


RIBBON HEADER 


IDMxx 


... 


5.50 


6.25 


7.00 


7.50 


8.50 


RIBBON EDGE CARD 


IDExx 


1.75 


2.25 


2.65 


2.75 


3.80 


3.95 




FOR ORDERING INSTRUCTIONS SEE D-SUBMINIATURE ABOVE 



HARD TO FIND 
"SHAPABLE" HEADERS 

CAN BE SNAPPED APARTTO 

MAKE ANY SIZE HEADER, 

ALL WITH .1" CENTERS 

1x40 STRAIGHT LEAD .9S 

1x40 RIGHT ANGLE 1.49 

I 2x40 STRAIGHT LEAD 2.49 

[2x40 RIGHT ANGLE 2.99, 



SHORTING 
BLOCKS 



GOLD 

CONTACTS 

SPACED 



J/$1.00 



them. Thank you 



CALL FOR VOLUME QUOTES 



1N751 


.25 


4N26 


.69 


1N759 


.25 


4N27 


.69 


1N4148 


25/1.00 


4N28 


.69 


1N4004 


10/1.00 


4N33 


.89 


IN 5402 


.25 


4N37 


1.19 


KBP04 


.55 


MCT-2 


.59 


KBU8A 


.95 


MCT-6 


1.29 


MDA990-2 


.35 


TIL-111 


.99 


N2222 


.25 


2N3906 


.10 


PN2222 


.10 


2N4401 


.25 


2N2905 


.50 


2N4402 


.25 


2N2907 


.25 


2N4403 


.25 


2N3055 


.79 


2N6045 


1.75 


2N3904 


.10 


TIP31 


.49 



LED DISPLAYS 



FND-357(359) 


COM CATHODE 


.362" 


1.25 


FND-500(503) 


COM CATHODE 


.b" 


1.49 


FND-507(510) 


COM CATHODE 


.b" 


1.49 


MAN-72 


COM ANODE 


.3" 


.99 


MAN-74 


COM CATHODE 


.3" 


.99 


MAN-8940 


COM CATHODE 


.8" 


1.99 


TIL-313 


COM CATHODE 


.3" 


.45 


HP5082-7760 


COM CATHODE 


.43" 


1.29 


TIL-311 4x7 HEXW/LOGIC 


.270' 


9.95 


HP5082-7340 4x7 HEXW/LOGIC 


.290" 


7.95 


DIFFUSED LEDS 


1-99 


100-UP 


JUMBO RED 


T1V4 


.10 




.09 


JUMBO GREEN 


T1V« 


.14 




.12 


JUMBO YELLOW 


T1*/4 


.14 




.12 


MOUNTING HOW 


T1V4 


.10 




.09 


MINI RED 


T1 


.10 




.09 



SWITCHES 

SPST MINI-TOGGLE ON-ON 

DPDT MINI-TOGGLE ON-ON 

DPDT MINI-TOGGLE ON-OFF-ON 

SPST MINI-PUSHBUTTON NO. 

SPST MINI-PUSHBUTTON N.C. 

. SPST TOGGLE ON-OFF 
I BCD OUTPUT 10 POSITION 6 PIN DIP 



1.25 

1.50 

1.75 

.39 

.39 

.49 

1.95 



DIP SWITCHES 



4 POSITION .85 7 POSITION .95 

5 POSITION .90 8 POSITION .95 

i 6 POSITION .90 10 POSITION 1.29 J 



lilar firms who 
u umers bothering 

F.K. 

Chapel Hill, NC . 



> COPYRIGHT 1985 JDR MICRODEVICES 





RIBBON CAB 


LE 


CONTACTS 


SINGLE COLOR 


COLOR CODED 


1' 


10' 


V 


10' 


10 


.18 


1.60 


.30 


2.75 


16 


.28 


2.50 


.48 


4.40 


20 


.36 


3.20 


.60 


5.50 


25 


.45 


4.00 


.75 


6.85 


26 


.46 


4.10 


.78 


7.15 


34 


.61 


5.40 


1,07 


9.35 


40 


.72 


6.40 


1.20 


11.00 


50 


.89 


7.50 


1.50 


13.25 





Inquiry 183 



JANUARY 1986 -BYTE 457 



order toll free 800-538-5000 800-662-6279 <c a> 



BARGAIN HUNTERS CORNER 
DISK DRIVE SPECIALS 



TEAC FD-I 

Vi HEIGHT, IBM 



QUIWE QT 

Vi HEIGHT, IBI 



SHUGAI 

Vi HEIGHT 




S/DD $85°° 

DRIVE 



$69 95 
$99 95 



BLE 



LY $99 95 

FULL OR 1 / 2 

ECIALFROMA 

SAY WHO), 



TS-806 

ONE TEAC 
HEIGHT HA 
MAJOR MANI 
PERFECT FOR Tl 
I 
HURRY — QUANTITIES ARE LIMITED! 

SPECIALS END 2/28/86 



PAGE WIRE WRAP WIRE 

PRECUT ASSORTMENT 

IN ASSORTED COLORS $27.50 

100ea: 5.5". 6.0", 6.5". 7.0" 
250ea: 2.5". 4.5". 5.0" 
500ea: 3.0". 3.5". 4.0" 



WIRE WRAP PROTOTYPE CARDS 

FR-4 EPOXY GLASS LAMINATE 
WITH GOLD-PLATED EDGE-CARD FINGERS 



SPOOLS 



100 feet $4.30 
500feet $13.25 



250 feet $7.25 
1000 feet $21.95 



Please specify color: 
Blue, Black, Yellow or Red 



EMI FILTER 

► MANUFACTURED 
BY CORCOM 

* LOW COST 

* FITS LC-HP BELOW 
*6AMP 120/240 VOLT 



6 FOOT LINE CORDS 



LC-2 2 CONDUCTOR .39 

| LC-3 2 CONDUCTOR .99 
LC-HP 3 CONDUCTOR W/STD 

FEMALE SOCKET 1.49 

MUFFIN FANS 

I 3.15" SQ ROTRON 14.95 

| 3.63" SQ ETRI 14.95 

L 3.18" SQ MASUSHITA 16.95 . 





IBM-PR2 .—-- 

IBM 

BOTH CARDS HAVE SILK SCREENED LEGENDS 

AND INCLUDES MOUNTING BRACKET 

IBM-PR1 WITH +5V AND GROUND PLANE .... $27.95 

IBM-PR2 AS ABOVE WITH DECODING LAYOUT $29.95 

S-100 

P100-1 BARE- ND FOILPADS $15.15 

P100-2 HORIZONTAL BUS $21.80 

| P100-3 VERTICAL BUS $21.80 

P100-4 SINGLE FOIL PADS PER HDLE $22.75 

APPLE 

P500-1 BARE - NO FOIL PADS $15.15 

P500-3 HORIZONTAL BUS $22.75 

P500-4 SINGLE FOIL PADS PER HOLE $21.80 

L 7060-45 FOR APPLE lie AUX SLOT $30.00 i 



SOCKET-WRAP I.D.™ 

* SLIPS OVER WIRE WRAP PINS 

* IDENTIFIES PIN NUMBERS ON WRAP 
SIDE OF BOARD 

* CA N WRITE ON PLASTIC; SUCH AS IC # 



'INS 


PART# 


PCK. OF 


PRICE 


8 


IDWRAP08 


10 


1.95 


14 


IDWRAP14 


10 


1.95 


16 


IDWRAP 16 


10 


1.95 


18 


ID WRAP 18 


5 


1.95 


20 


IDWRAP 20 


5 


1.95 


22 


IDWRAP 22 


5 


1.95 


24 


IDWRAP 24 


5 


1.95 


28 


IDWRAP 28 


5 


1.95 


40 


IDWRAP 40 


5 


1.95 


PLEASE ORDER BY NUMBER OF 




PACKAGES (PCK. OF} 







CAPACITORS 








TANTALUM 






1.0f/f 


15V 


.35 


A7fjf 


35V 


.45 


6.8 


15V 


.70 


1.0 


35V 


.45 


10 


15V 


.80 


2.2 


35V 


.65 


22 


15V 


1.35 


4.7 


35V 


.85 


.22 


35V 


.40 


10 


35V 


1.00 






DISC 






10pf 


50V 


.05 


680 


50V 


.05 


22 


50V 


.05 


.001//f 


50V 


.05 


27 


50V 


.05 


.0022 


50V 


.05 


33 


50V 


.05 


.005 


50V 


.05 


47 


50V 


.05 


.01 


50V 


.07 


68 


50V 


.05 


.02 


50V 


.07 


100 


50V 


.05 


.05 


50V 


.07 


220 


50V 


.05 


.1 


12V 


.10 


560 


50V 


.05 


.1 


50V 


.12 




MONOLITHIC 






.ov 


50V 


.14 


.1//f 


50V 


.18 


.047^ 


50V 


.15 


A7f/f 


50V 


.25 




ELECTROLYTIC 




RADIAL 




AXIAL 




1/if 


25V 


.14 


1//f 


50V 


.14 


2.2 


35V 


.15 


10 


50V 


.16 


4.7 


50V 


.15 


22 


16V 


.14 


10 


50V 


.15 


47 


50V 


.20 


47 


35V 


.18 


100 


35V 


.25 


100 


16V 


.18 


220 


25V 


.30 


220 


35V 


.20 


470 


50V 


.50 


470 


25V 


.30 


1000 


16V 


.60 


2200 


16V 


.70 


2200 


16V 


.70 


4700 


25V 


1.45 


4700 


16V 


1.25 


I COMPUTER GRADE 


44.000//f 


30V 


3.95 



FRAME STYLE 
TRANSFORMERS 



2 AMP 5.95 

4 AMP 7.95 

AMP 10.95 

2 AMP 7.95. 




[DATARASE EPROM ERASER $34.95 



* ERASES TWO E PROMS IN 10 MINUTES 

• COMPACT-NO DRAWER 
► THIN METAL SHUTTER 

PREVENTSUV LIGHT 
FROM ESCAPING 



isa 



% WATT RESISTORS 

5% CARBON FILM ALL STANDARD VALUES 
FROM 1 OHM TO 10 MEG. OHM 

i 10 PCS same value .05 100 PCS same value .02 

50 PCS same value .025 1000 PCS samevaJoe .015 



RESISTOR NETWORKS 



SIP 


10 


PIN 


9 RESISTOR 


.69 


SIP 


8 


PIN 


7 RESISTOR 


.59 


DIP 


16 


PIN 


8 RESISTOR 


1.09 


DIP 


16 


PIN 


15 RESISTOR 


1.09 


DIP 


14 


PIN 


7 RESISTOR 


.99 


DIP 


14 


PIN 


13 RESISTOR 


.99 



SPECIALS ON BYPASS CAPACITORS 

.01 Lff CERAMIC DISC 100/S5.00 

.01 (A MONOLITHIC 1 00/$1 0.00 
.1 fif CERAMIC DISC 100/$6.50 

.1 //f MONOLITHIC 100/$12.50, 



PS-IBM 



SWITCHING POWER SUPPLIES 

$99.95 



' FOR IBM PC-XT COMPATIBLE 

► 130 WATTS 
► +5V@15A. +12V@4.2A PS-IBM 

-5V @ .5A. -12V @ .5A 

► ONE YEAR WARRANTY 



PS-130 



$99.95 



* 130 WATTS 

* SWITCH ON REAR 

» FOR USE IN OTHER IBM 
TYPE MACHINES 

* 90 DAY WARRANTY 



PS-A 



$49.95 



► USE TO POWER APPLE TYPE 
SYSTEMS 

* +5V @ 4A, +12V @ 2.5A 
-5V @ .5A. -12V @ .5A 

* APPLE POWER CONNECTOR 

PS-SPL200 $49.95 

* +5V @ 25A. +12V @ 3.5A 
-5V@1A. -12V @ 1A 

► UL APPROVED 

» ALUMINUM ENCLOSURE 



PS-TDK 



$29.95 



*+5V@4A, +12V@ 2A 

+12V @ 2.8A. -12V @ .30A 
► 6.2" x 7.4" x 1.7". 1.6 LBS. 



PS-11951 



$29.95 



► MANUFACTURED BYASTEC 

► +5V @ 6A. +12V @ 2A 
+12 V @ 1.5A. -12V @2A. 

► 5.0" x 8.0" x 2.0". 1.6 LBS. 



NEW BOOKS BY 
STEVE CIARCIA 




I BIULD YOUR OWN 
Z80 COMPUTER 

I CIRCUIT CELLAR VOL 1 
CIRCUIT CELLAR VOL 2 
CIRCUIT CELLAR VOL 3 

L CIRCUIT CELLAR VOL 4 



$19.95 
$17.95 
$18.95 
$18.95 
$18.95 J 



PS-SPL200 



MICROCOMPUTER 
HARDWARE HANDBOOK 

| FROM ELCOMP $14.95 

OVER 800 PAGES OF DATA SHEETS 
ON THE MOST COMMONLY USED 
ICs. INCLUDES TTL. CMOS. 74LS00, 
MEMORY, CPUs. MPU SUPPORT. 
. AND MUCH MORE! 



WISH SOLDERLESS BREADBOAROS 



PART 

NUMBER 


DIMENSIONS 


DISTRIBUTION 
STRIP(S) 


TIE 

POINTS 


TERMINAL 
STRIP(S) 


TIE 
POINTS 


BINDING 
POSTS 


PRICE 


WBU-D 


.38 x 6.50" 


1 


100 


... 


... 




2.95 


WBU-T 


1.38x6.50" 






1 


630 




6.95 


WBU-204-3 


3.94 x 8.45" 


1 


100 


2 


1260 


2 


17.95 


WBU-204 


5.13x8.45" 


4 


400 


2 


1260 


3 


24.95 


WBU-206 


6.88 x 9.06" 


5 


500 


3 


1890 


4 


29.95 


WBU-208 


8.25 x 9.45" 


7 


700 


4 


2520 


4 


39.95 




LITHIUM BATTERY WlC MASTER $79.95 



I AS USED IN CLOCK CIRCUITS 



$3.95 
S1.49 j 




3 VOLT BATTERY 
. BATTERY HOLDER 




L THE INDUSTRY STANDARD ^ 



VISIT OUR RETAIL STORE LOCATED AT 1256 SOUTH BASCOM AVENUE IN SAN JOSE 



JDR Microdevices 

1 1224 S. Bascom Avenue, San Jose, CA 95128 

800-538-5000 • 800-662-6279 (CA) • (408) 995-5430 

FAX (408) 275-8415 • Telex 171-110 



HOURS: M-W-F, 9-5 TU-TH, 9-9 SAT, 10-3 

PLEASE USE YOUR CUSTOMER NUMBER WHEN ORDERING 

TERMS: Minimum order $10.00. For shipping and handling Include $2.50 tor UPS 
Ground and $3.50 (or UPS Air. Orders over 1 lb. and 

additional shipping charges - please contact our sales department for the amount CA 
residents must include applicable sales tax. All merchandise Is warranted tor 90 days 
unless otherwise stated. Prices are subject to change without notice. We are not 
responsible tor typographical errors. We reserve the right to limit quantities and to 
substitute manufacturer. All merchandise subject to prior sale. 



© Copyright 1985 JDR Microdevices 



458 B YTE • JANUARY )986 



Inquiry 184 



PARTIAL LISTING ONLY — CALL FOR A FREE CATALOG 



IgL PRINTER BUFFERS 

- FREES COMPUTER FOR OTHER TASKS WHILE 
PRINTING LONG DOCUMENTS. 
STANDALONE DESIGN - WORKS WITH ANY 
COMPUTER OR PRINTER. 
ALL MODELS FEATURE PRINT PAUSE. 
MEMORY CHECK AND 
GRAPHICS CAPABILITY. 



m\ 



3-WAY SWITCH BOXES 



$139.95 



SP120P PARALLEL 

* 64K UPGRADABLE TO 256K 

* LED INDICATOR SHOWS VOLUME OF DATA IN 
BUFFER 

SP120S RS232 SERIAL $159.95 

* 64K UPGRADABLE TO 256K 

* SIX SELECTABLE BAUD RATES FROM 
600B - 19.200B 

SP110 PARALLEL $249.95 

* 64K UPGRADABLE TO 512K 

* SPOOLS OUTPUT OF UP TO 
THREE COMPUTERS 

* LED BARGRAPH DISPLAYS AMOUNT 
OF DATA IN BUFFER 

* RESET FUNCTION CLEARS DATA IN BUFFER 

* REPEAT FUNCTION CAN PRODUCE MULTIPLE 

COPIES OF A DOCUMENT _ 



* SERIAL OR PARALLEL 

* CONNECTS 3 PRINTERS TO 1 
COMPUTER OR 3 COMPUTERS 
TO 1 PRINTER 

* ALL LINES SWITCHED 

* HIGH QUALITY ROTARY SWITCH 
MOUNTED ON PCB 

* GOLD CONTACTS 

* STURDY METAL ENCLOSURE 




SWITCH-3P CENTRONICS PARALLEL 99.95 
L SWITCH-3S RS232 SERIAL 99.95 J 




IBM 

PRINTER 

CABLE 

* DB25 TO 
CENTRONICS 

* SHIELDED 
CABLE 

$9.95 



JOYSTICKS 

I $7.95 




DISKETTES 



DISKETTE FILE 



N-MD2D 
N-MD2F 
N-MD2H 



N-FD1 
IM-FD2D 



N-3.5SS 



V-MD1D 
V-MD2D 
V-MD110D 



NASHUA 5Va" 

DS/DD SOFT SECTOR 
DS/QUAD SOFT SECTOR 
DS/HIGH DENSITY FOR AT 

NASHUA 8" 

SS/DD SOFT SECTOR 
DS/DD SOFT SECTOR 



FLOPPY DISK DRIVES 

TEAC 

FD-55B V* HEIGHT DS/DD 
FD-55F Vi HEIGHT DS/QUAD 

oa**„ SHUGART 

5A460 5V«" (80 TRACK) DS/QUAD 

i™..™^ TANDON 

| TlVn 00-2 5'/«" (FOR IBM) DS/DD 

MPI 

MPI-B52 5V«" (FOR IBM) DS/DD 

SIEMENS 8" DISK DRIVES 

FD 1 00-8 SS/DD SA801 R EQUIV. $ 1 1 9.00 I 
FD200-8 DS/DD SA851R EQUIV $ 1 59.00 

JFORMAT-2 SOFTWARE $49.95 

SUPPORT FOR QUAD DENSITY DRIVES FROM TALL TREE SYSTEMS 



DISK DRIVE CABINETS 

5 1 /4 M DRIVE ENCLOSURES 

CAB-APPLE APPLE TYPE DRIVE CABINET $24.95 

WITHOUT POWER SUPPLY 
| CAB-1FH5 FULL HEIGHT 5V4" BEIGE DRIVE CABINET $69.95 

WITH POWER SUPPLY 
CAB-2SV5 DUAL SLIM LINE 5W* CABINET $49.95 

WITH POWER SUPPLY - VERTICAL MOUNT 

8 INCH DRIVE ENCLOSURES BY JHR 

| CAB-2SV8 DUAL SLIMLINE 8" DRIVE CABINET $209.95 

WITH POWER SUPPLY - VERTICAL MOUNT 
CAB-2FH8 DUAL FULL HEIGHT 8" DRIVE CABINET 

WITH POWER SUPPLY - HORIZONTAL 




$219.95 



$9.90 
$34.95 
$49.95 



$27.95 
$34.95 




NASHUA 3.5" 

3.5" SS/DD FOR MACINTOSH $32.95 

VERBATIM 5 1 /4" 

SS/DD SOFT SECTOR $23.95 

DS/DD SOFT SECTOR $29.95 

SS/DD 10 SECTOR HARD $23.95 J 



NASHUA DISKETTE SPECIALS 

5 1 /4" SOFT SECTOR 
DS/DD WITH HUB RINGS 



HOLDS 70 5W DISKETTES 



CAB-1FH5 



IBM STYLE COMPUTER CASE 

ATTRACTIVE STEEL CASE, WITH HINGED LID. FITS 
POPULAR PC/XT COMPATIBLE MOTHER-BOARDS. 



IBM COMPATIBLE KEYBOARDS 



DKM-2000 



$79.95 



* SWITCH CUT-OUT ON SIDE FOR PC/XT STYLE 
POWER SUPPLY 

» CUT-OUT FOR 8 EXPANSION SLOTS 

• ALL HARDWARE INCLUDED 



$59.95 



• FULLY IBM COMPATIBLE 
» 83 KEY IDENTICAL 

IAYOUTTOIBM KEYBOARD 

* LED STATUS INDICATORS 
FOR CAPS. NUMBER LOCK 

. AUDIBLE CLICK 




KB-5151 



$9.90 

B0N0F10 



89Cea 

BULK QTY 50 



790ea 

BULK QTY 250 



NASHUA DISKETTES WERE JUDGED TO HAVE THE HIGHEST 
POLISH AND RECORDED AMPLITUDE OF ANY DISKETTES 
TESTED. SEE "COMPARING FLOPPY DISKS". BYTE 9-84. 



EXTENDER CARDS 1 




" 


f '' IB " 




:. 


!;,:■>. 




IBM-PC $45.00 




IBM-AT $68.00 




APPLE II $45.00 




APPLE Me $45.00 




MULTIBUS 


$86.00 . 





POWER STRIPS 

* ULAPPROVED 

* 15A CIRCUIT BREAKER 

$12.95 




$99.95 



- ENHANCED IBM COMP. 
W/LARGE RETURN KEY 

■ SEPARATE CURSOR AND 
NUMERIC KEYPADS 

■ CAPS LOCK & NUMBER 
LOCK INDICATORS 

. IMPROVED KEYBOARD LAYOUT 









CASE WITH KEYBOARD 



KEYBOARD-AP $49.95 




. REPLACEMENT FOR 
APPLE II KEYBOARD 

* CAPS LOCK KEY 

* AUTO-REPEAT 

t ONE KEY ENTRY OF 
BASIC OR 
CP/M COMMANDS 




FOR APPLE MOTHER-BOARD 



■ USER DEFINED 

FUNCTION KEYS 
* NUMERIC KEYPADWITH 

CURSOR CONTROL 
> CAPS LOCK 
<■ AUTO-REPEAT 



MODEL KB-1 000 



ONLY $79.95 




20 MHz DUAL TRACE 
OSCILLOSCOPE 



HIGH QUALITY TEST EQUIPMENT FROM JDR INSTRUMENTS 

35 MHz DUAL TRACE 
OSCILLOSCOPE 



MODEL 
2000 

$389 




BAND WIDTH - DC: TO20 MHz (-3db) 

AC: 10 Hz TO 20MHZ (-3db) 
SWEEP TIME - .2 //SEC TO .5 SEC/DIV 
ON 20 RANGES 

COMPLETE MANUAL AND HIGH QUALITY 
HOOK-ON PROBES INCLUDED 

* INPUT IMPEDANCE: 1 MEG OHM 
r TV VIDEO SYNC FILTER 

• X-Y AND Z AXIS OPERATION 
110/220 VOLT OPERATION 

* COMPONENT TESTER 

* LP CONSUMPTION - 19 WATTS 
BUILT-IN CALIBRATOR 

* AUTOMATIC OR TRIGGERED TIMEBASE 



MODEL 
3500 

$549 




^ BAND WIDTH - DC: TO 35MHz (-3db) 

AC: 10 Hz TO 35MHZ (-3db) 

> SWEEP TIME - .1 //SEC TO .5 SEC/DIV 
ON 21 RANGES 

► DELAYED TRIGGER - 100 mSEC TO 1 //SEC WITH 
INTENSIFIED AND DELAYED MODES 

- COMPLETE MANUAL AND 1X-10X COMPENSATED 
HOOK-ON PROBES INCLUDED 

* VARIABLE HOLD OFF FOR 
VIEWING COMPLEX WAVES 

> TV VIDEO SYNC FILTER 

- TRIGGERING OF CH-A, CH-B. ALTERNATING, 
LINE OR EXTERNAL 

► X-Y AND Z AXIS OPERATION 



CALL FOR VOLUME QUOTES 



DIGITAL MULTIMETER PEN 
MODEL DPM-1000 




$54 95 



AUTO RANGING, POLARITY AND DECIMAL! 

LARGE 3.5" DISPLAY 
r DATA HOLD SWITCH FREEZES READING 

FAST. AUDIBLE CONTINUITY TEST 

LOW BATTERY INDICATOR 

OVERLOAD PROTECTION 

ONLY IV* x 6'A x %" 

DC VOLTS 1mV-500V 
- AC VOLTS 1mV-500V 

.1 OHM - 2 MEG OHM 
r WEIGHS ONLY 2.3 OUNCES 

LOW PARTS COUNT-CUSTOM 80 PIN LSI INSURES 

RELIABILITY 
> INCLUDES MANUAL. BATTERIES. HARD CASE. AND 

ALLIGATOR CLIP 



5 COPYRIGHT 1985 JDR MICRODEVICES 



Inquiry 184 



JANUARY 1986 -BYTE 459 




#JDR Microdevices 



IBM COMPATIBLE INTERFACE CARDS 

ALL WIT HA ONE YEAR WARRANTY 
MULTIFUNCTION CARD $129.95 

ALL THE FEATURES OF ASTS 6 PACK PLUS AT HALF THE PRICE 

* CLOCK/CALENDAR 

* 0-384KRAM 

* SERIAL PORT 

* PARALLEL PORT 

* GAME PORT 

* SOFTWARE INCLUDED 

PRINTER CABLE $9.95 64K RAM UPGRADE 9/S6.21 

COLOR GRAPHICS ADAPTOR $99.95 

FULLY COMPATIBLE WITH IBM COLOR CARD 

* 4 VIDEO INTERFACES: RGB, 
COMPOSITE COLOR. HI-RES 
COMPOSITE MONOCHROME, 
CONNECTOR FOR RF MODULATOR 

* COLOR GRAPHICS MODE: 320 x 200 

* MONO GRAPHICS MODE: 640 x 200 

* LIGHT PEN INTERFACE 

MONOCHROME GRAPHICS CARD $129.95 

FULLY COMPATIBLE WITH IBM MONOCHROME ADAPTOR AND 
HERCULES GRAPHICS CARD 



<■ LOTUS COMPATIBLE 
» TEXT MODE: 80 x 25 

> GRAPHICS MODE: 720 x 348 

» PARALLEL PRINTER INTERFACE 

► OPTIONAL SERIAL PORT $19.95 



1224 South Ba scorn Avenue, San Jose, CA 95128 
800-538-5000 • 800-662-6279 (CA) • (408) 995-5430 • FAX (408) 275-8415 • Telex 171-110 





FLOPPY DISK DRIVE ADAPTOR 



$59.95 




* INTERFACES UPTOFOURSTANDARD 
FDDs TO IBM PC OR COMPATIBLES 

* INCLUDES CABLE FOR TWO 
INTERNAL DRIVES 



1200 BAUD INTERNAL MODEM FOR IBM 

INCLUDES PC TALK III COMMUNICATIONS-SOFTWARE 

» HAYES COMPATIBLE 

» AUTO DIAL/ AUTO ANSWER 

* AUTO RE-DIAL ON BUSY 
» INCLUDES SERIAL PORT! 

* ONE YEAR WARRANTY 




EASYDATA-12B $195 



300 BAUD MODEM FOR APPLE OR IBM 

CLOSE-OUT 




iS&t 



SPECIAL .tsfc, 
NOW OHLY '*//' 

$49.95 



INCLUDES ASCII PRO-EZ SOFTWARE (A S100 VALUE IN ITSELF) 



► FCC APPROVED 

» BELL SYSTEMS 103 COMPATIBLE 

■ INCLUDES AC ADAPTOR 

CABLE FOR APPLE lie 



AUTO DIAL/AUTO ANSWER 
DIRECT CONNECT 



$14.95 



Canon 



160 CPS 
PRINTER 

MODEL 
PMM000A 



$199.95 




P r- i n t e d i n D r a f t m o d e 
or Proportional and NLQ 



* VERYHIGHSPEED PRINTING (160 CPS) 

* EPSON/IBM COMPATIBLE CONTROL 

* 1 1 x 9 DOT DRAFT MODE CHARACTERS 
» 23 x 18 DOTS IN NEAR LFTTER QUALITY 



2K PRINT BUFFER 
DOWNLOADING FONT BUFFER 
FAN FOLD, CUTSHEET OR ROLLPAPER 
SOUD "BUSINESS" MACHINE 



UNBELIEVABLE MONITOR DEALS 




TAXAN 

RGB VISION III 

MODEL 475 

MADE FOR TAXAN BY ACORN 
640 x 262 PIXEL RESOLUTION 
16 COLORS 
> 18 MHz BANDWIDTH 
12" BLACK MATRIX 
IBM AND LOTUS COMPATIBLE 



SAKATA 

COMPOSITE COLOR 

MODEL SC-100 

TOP RATED FOR APPLE 
13" COMPOSITE VIDEO 
RESOLUTION: 280H x 300V - 
INTERNAL AUDIO AMPLIFIER < 
ONE YEAR WARRANTY < 



CABLE FOR IBM 



$15.05 



SAMWOO 

MONOCHROME 

MODEL DM-216B 

PERFECT COSMETIC MATCH 
FOR IBM PC 

IBM COMPATIBLE TTL INPUT 
12" NON-GLARE SCREEN 
P39 GREEN PHOSPHOR 
HI-RES 22 MHz BAND WIDTH 



$209.95 $169.95 $99.95 



MONITOR STAND 

TILTS AND SWIVELS 




$12.95 



APPLE COMPATIBLE 
INTERFACE CARDS 

I EPROM PROGRAMMER $59.95 I 




MODEL 
RP525 



» DUPLICATE OR BURN ANY 
STANDARD 27xx SERIES EPROM 

» EASYTO USE MENU-DRIVEN 
SOFTWARE INCLUDED 

> MENU SELECTION FOR 2716, 2732, 
2732A. 2764 & 27128 

> HIGH SPEED WRITE ALGORITHM 
» LED INDICATORS FOR ACTIVITY 

> NO EXTERNAL POWER SUPPLY 
REQUIRED 

» ONE YEAR WARRANTY 




16K RAMCARD 



$39.95 



» FULL TWO YEAR WARRANTY 
. EXPAND YOUR 48K APPLE TO 64K 
. USE IN PLACE OF APPLE 
LANGUAGE CARD 

I BARE PC CARD W/ INSTRUCTIONS $9.95 




llC TEST CARD 



$99.95 



» QUICKLY TESTS MANY COMMON 
ICs 

* DISPLAYSPASSOR FAIL 

* ONE YEAR WARRANTY 

* TESTS: 4000 SERIES CMOS 

74HC SERIES CMOS 
7400; 74LS, 741. 74H, 74S. 
SOME PROMS AND RAMS 



DISK DRIVES 

FOR APPLE COMPUTERS 



*m 



am 



* V 3 HEIGHT-ALPS MECHANISM 

* 100% APPLE COMPATIBLE 
► FULL 1 YEAR WARRANTY 






BAL-525 
$99.95 



BAL-500 
$129.95 



» TEAC MECHANISM- DIRECT DRIVE 

* 100% APPLE COMPATIBLE 

* FULL 1 YEAR WARRANTY 




AM 35 

$129.95 



* FULL HT. SHUGART MECHANISM 
" DIRECT REPLACEMENT FOR APPLE 

DISK II 
> SIX MONTH WARRANTY 






FOR 

APPLE IIC 

AD-3G 
$139.95 



* 100% APPLE lie COMPATIBLE. 

READY TO PLUG IN W/ SHIELDED 

CABLE 8. MOLDED 19 PIN CONNECTOR 
■ FAST, RELIABLE SLIMLINE 

DIRECT DRIVE 
► SIX MONTH WARRANTY 




FOR 
MACINTOSH 

MAG535 1 
$249.95 



» 3.5" ADD-ON DISK DRIVE 
. 100% MACINTOSH COMPATIBLE 
» SINGLE SIDED 400K BYTE STORAGE 
» HIGH RELIABILITY DRIVE FEATURES 

AUTO-EJECT MECHANISM 
► FULL ONE YEAR WARRANTY 

DISK DRIVE ACCESSORIES 

DISK CONTROLLER CARD $49.95 

1 APPLE He ADAPTOR CABLE $19.95 

ADAPTS STANDARD APPLE DRIVES 

FOR USE WITH APPLE He 




TEAC 
DISK 
DRIVES 
FOR 
IBM 
PCS 

FD-55D 
.FD-55F 




DS/DD 
OS/QUAD 



89.95 
99.95j 



COMREX CR-1000 DUAL SLIMLINE DISK DRIVE 

FOR APPLE COMPUTERS 



$199.95 



* SPACE SAVING DESIGN 
STACK BETWEEN COMPUTER 
AND MONITOR 

* QUIET, REUABLE Vz HEIGHT DRIVES 

* TOTAL STORAGE CAPACITY: 286K BYTES 

* AUTO-EJECT MECHANISM 

* SHIELDED CABLE INCLUDED 




INCLUDES CONTROLLER AND DOS 3.3 WITH DISK UTILITIES 



ALL MERCHANDISE 100% GUARANTEED 



D COPYRIGHT 1985 JDR MICRODEVICES 



460 BYTE • JANUARY I986 



Inquiry I85 



UNCLASSIFIED ADS 



NEEDED: Nonprofit organization needs donation of 
IBM compatibles, monitors, printers, and Hayes- 
compatible modems for conflict resolution and 
mediation training and education project in Costa 
Rica. Central America. Peaceworkers. 3149 
Plymouth Rd.. Lafayette. CA 94549. (415) 935-3 565. 

TRADE: Two white-water rafting tickets in exchange for 
an IBM PC XT or compatible for our training adven- 
ture teaching people with severe cerebral palsy to 
use micros and obtain employment, lax-deductible. 
Kathleen Martin, Computer Access Project. 1904 
Franklin St.. Oakland. CA 94612. (415) 832-7430. 

NEEDED: Nonprofit school for emotionally disturbed 
children seeks tax-deductible donation of Apple 
computers, peripherals, literature, supplies, etc. Will 
provide receipts. Dean Esmay. SMA Independence 
High School. 22700 Richton Square Rd.. Richton 
Park. IL 60471. (312) 481-6091. 

WANTED: Volunteer programmer seeks contribution 
of IBM. Apple, or compatible, peripherals, and 
literature for Institution of Social Work and Com- 
munity Development projects and development of 
public-domain educational programs for literacy 
training in underdeveloped areas. Jeffrey Y. Balanag. 
3 5 36 Road Ten. Altura St.. Sta. Mesa. Metro-Manila 
2806. Republic of the Philippines. 

NEEDED: UNIX system. IBM or compatible micros, 
terminals, monitors, printers, and other equipment 
for training and user's group sponsored at Maine 
State Prison. Tax-deductible. George Fernald, Maine 
State Prison Jaycees. Box A. Thomaston, ME 04861. 
or call David Macmillan or Bruce Wentworth at (207) 
354-2535. ext. 293. 

WANTED: lax-deductible IBM PC-compatibles, moni- 
tors, printers, and copying machines for U.S. pro- 
fessors helping revive scientific psychology in China 
through graduate program at Liaoning Teachers 
University. Macintosh with printer also welcome. 
Shipping paid. Dr. I. S. Phillips. Child Study Center. 
University of Denver. Denver. CO 80208. 

WANTED: Nonprofit educational institution seeks tax- 
deductible contribution of an Apple He or lie with 
printer for class use. Sherrill Jones. Northside 
Elementary School. Milledgeville. GA 31061. (912) 
452-8502. 

WANTED: Nonprofit youth-benefitting organization 
seeks 2 56K IBM PC. daisy-wheel printer, and public- 
domain software and/or 2 56K Apple lie for business 
and training use. Will pay shipping and send receipt. 
John Donohue. San Francisco Youth Sports Travel 
Fund Inc.. POB 31488. San Francisco, CA 94131. 
(415) 661-5002. 

WANTED: Nonprofit after-school day-care center 
seeks tax-deductible donation of public-domain 
word-processing and database software for Apple 
1!+. Karen Schiller. Havurah Youth Center. San Fran- 
cisco Jewish Community Center. 3200 California St.. 
San Francisco. CA 941 18. (4 1 5) 346-6040. ext. 224. 

WANTED: Tax-deductible contributions welcomed by 
nonprofit organization acting as equipment clear- 
inghouse for many nonprofit organizations needing 
hardware donations in Montana. Idaho, and Wyo- 
ming. Northern Rockies Action Group. 9 Placer, 
Helena. MT 59601. (406) 442-6615. 

WANTED: Nonprofit organization specializing in pro- 
moting family life seeks tax-deductible donations of 
computer equipment to expand services. Marian 
Redinger, Beginning Family. 14260 Lake Hills Blvd.. 
Bellevue. WA 98007. (206) 644-2207. 

WANTED: Tax-deductible donation of TRS-80 com- 
puter and peripherals or Kaypro and compatible 
CP/M machines to support orthodox church group 
community project. Monastery of St. Justin Martyr, 
POB 844, El Dorado. CA 95623. (916) 644-6652. 

NEEDED: Small church seeks computer system (IBM. 
Apple, or Commodore) for bookkeeping and word 
processing. Donations are tax-deductible. Templo 
El Olivar. POB 729. Sunland Park. NM 88063. (91 5) 
778-8605. 

NEEDED: Word-processing and computer equipment 
to assist nonprofit ministry to preach in all parts of 
the world. Charles and Yvonne Svitlik. Cornerstone 
Ministries. POB 845. Waterbury. CT 06720. 

WANTED: Nonprofit tax-exempt organization needs 
donation of IBM PC. Apple. TRS-80. or compatible 



for general accounting and stock-control applica- 
tions. Mrs. Z. Elizondo. Confraternity of Christian 
Doctrine. 276 Pitt St.. Sydney. New South Wales 
2000. Australia. 

WANTED: Nonprofit community service organization 
seeks tax-deductible donation of Apple or compati- 
ble with printer. New Life Foundation. Box 2000, 
Ojai, CA 93023. 

WANTED: Swedish student would like to correspond 
with others who have an interest in artificial in- 
telligence in general and LISP in particular. Fredrik 
Nyman. Pilvagen I. S-616 00 Aby, Sweden. 

WANTED: 1 need to convert my Apple II to a II + . but 
I can't find the autostart ROMs. Can anyone help? 
Richard Ashby. M.D.. 9713 Old Creek Rd.. Ventura, 
CA 93003. (805) 649-2725 or 652-6153. 

WANTED: Information o n punch-card readers, includ- 
ing interface for connection to an Apple 11+ or Com- 
puPro (S-100) running a Z80 processor. Walter F. 
George. M.D.. 134 5 East 14th St.. San Leandro. CA 
94578. (415) 483-6367. 

WANTED: A copy of BYTE document #112 (LISP in- 
terpreter for the 6800 or similar document for the 
6809). Mark Wilson. POB 14. Huntingdon. PA 16652. 

WANTED: Documentation on OEM (parallel) interface 
Diablo Hi-Type II daisy-wheel printer including pin 
assignments, voltage levels, etc. Maintenance infor- 
mation also appreciated. Will refund postage costs. 
Dick Dixon, llmarin. Vale View Dr.. Beech Hill. 
Reading RG7 2BD. England. 

WANTED: Working Intel 4004 and 8008 microproces- 
sor chips for science museum exhibit. Send price. 
Ray Albrektson. 900 Edgehill Court. Covington. KY 
41011. 

WANTED: BYTE, issues I through 10. Will pay 
reasonable price for good condition. Dave lenson. 
7200 Marilyn NE. Albuquerque. NM 87109. (505) 
821-0109. 

WANTED: Information about sales places of literature 
for Casio FP-200 notebook computer, particularly 
on how to create an assembly program and to re- 
define the character set. Javier Argandona Lazo. Dr. 
Johow No. 385. Nunoa. Santiago. Chile. 

FOR SALE: TI-99/4A. cassette-recorder cable, and 
books: $130. Timex Sinclair 1000: $20. ColecoVision: 
$140. Atari 5200: $170. 1 will pay postage. Heriberto 
Suarez. Buzon 3034. TYujillo Alto. Puerto Rico 
00760. 

FOR SALE: DEC PDP-11/05 system with 32K. includes 
restart/LDR. CROLRC arithmetic element. Unibus 
CrL RK06-EA 120/60. single-access RK06 120/60 
Hz. ]0!rt-inch expander box 120 V. DEC maintained. 
Best offer. Mary Ann Atkins. Fountaindale Public 
Library District. 300 West Briarcliff Rd.. Bolingbrook. 
IL 60439. (312) 759-2103. 

FOR SALE: Radio Shack information distribution net- 
work. Five TRS-80 Model II terminals, four disk 
drives, one MUX. Sue, Data Support Service. 7711 
Carondelet 504, Clayton, MO 63015, 

FOR SALE: PDP-11/10, two RK05s. Laboratory 
Peripheral System, VT-52. and manuals. $800. 
Science Unlimited Research Foundation. 311-D 
Spencer Lane, San Antonio, TX 78201. 

FOR SALE: Complete system board for Columbia 
1600-1. 8088 processor, one parallel and two serial 
ports, power supply, and documentation. $400. Paul 
Bookbinder, 150 West 87th St.. New York. NY 10024, 
(212) 840-1327. 



UNCLASSIFIED ADS MUSr be noncommercial from 
readers who have computer equipment to buy, sell, or trade 
on a onetime basis. All requests for donated computer 
equipment must be from nonprofit organizations. Programs 
to be exchanged must be written by the individual or be 
in the public domain. Ads must be typed double-spaced, 
contain 50 words or less, and include full name and ad- 
dress. This is a free service: ads are printed as space per- 
mits. BYTE reserves the right to reject any unclassified 
ad that does not meet these criteria. When you submit 
your ad (BYTE, Unclassified Ads, POB 372, Hancock. 
NH 03449), allow at least four months for it to appear. 



FOR SALE: Apple 11+ (64K) with two Apple drives. 
Zenith monitor, Epson MX-80 F/T with graphics 
chips, RS-232 interface. RF modulator, manuals, and 
accessories. Excellent condition. $1100. John Lipa. 
165 Harcross Rd.. Woodside. CA 94062. (415) 
366-0547. 
WANTED: Commodore 64 and 128 users in U.S. and 
Canada for public-domain software club. Jonathan 
Harte. 138 Birch-Hill Dr.. Ottawa, Ontario KlK 3Y5. 
Canada. (613) 746-7392. 
FOR SALE: NEC PC-8001A computer. 8031 dual 150K 
disk drives. Renaissance Technology Wedge. NEC 
JBI201 monitor, extra RS-2 32 C port, sound synthe- 
sizer board. A/D/A ports. Centronics parallel port, 
and 300-bps modem. $1700. James Bucan. 278 
Sisson St.. Romeo. Ml 48065. (313) 752-2660. 
FOR SALE: Dimension 68000. 1-megabyte RAM, four 
floppy-disk drives, and IBM. Z80. and Apple emula- 
tion boards. Asking $6000. Stan Miley. 2812 Hillside 
Dr.. Bryan. TX 77802. (409) 846-1664. 
FOR SALE: S-100 system 6-slot Integrand mainframe, 
'Ieletek FDC-1 CPU/disk controller 5 ! / 4 -inch and 
8-inch formats, two RS-232C ports, parallel ports. 
CompuPro RAM 16, two 8-inch 1 .2-megabyte drives, 
two monitors, two printers. 300/1200-bps modem, 
and documentation. $2 500 or best offer. Art Mor- 
ton. 2 513 Dawes St.. Rancho Cordova. CA 95670. 
(916) 363-8144. 
FOR SALE: Hazeltine Executive 80 Model 20 ter- 
minal. 80/132 columns, up to 19.200 bps. character 
graphics, eight programmable function keys, detach- 
able keyboard. Paul Wick, 10503 Jimenez St. Lake 
View 'Terrace. CA 91342. (818) 896-3 502. 
FOR SALE: Tektronix 60-MHz oscilloscope. Model 
2215. dual trace, dual time base, delayed sweep, 
with manuals, probes, and cover. $1200 or best of- 
fer. Richard Gorton. DVI-C68544. POB 600. TYacy. 
CA 95376. 
FOR SALE: Sol-20 48K computer with Micropolis 
630K dual drive Model 1053 MOD II. manuals, and 
more. All in good condition. $750 plus postage. 
John L. Gorman Sr., 210 Sprague Ave., South Plain- 
field, NJ 07080. 
WANTED: ALSPA ACI-2 CP/M computer. Duncan 
Moyer. 13418 Garden Bar. Grass Valley. CA 95945. 
(916) 268-0115. 
FOR SALE: BYTE: January 1982. 23 copies will be 
sold individually by lottery for $5 each. Send SASE 
for drawing. Selene Pappas. 23644 North 84th St.. 
Scottsdale, AZ 85255. 
WANTED: Hewlett-Packard 86/87. 128K memory 
module, serial (RS-2 32 C) interface. I/O ROM, 
modem, and plotter ROM. D. Bran. 12335 Santa 
Monica Blvd. #192. Los Angeles. CA 9002 5. 
FOR SALE: Intersystems S-100 system, 64K, Z80, two 
serial and two parallel ports, two Shugart 850 
DS/DD, C. Itoh 101 terminal. PROM burner, modem, 
and more. $1400 or best offer. Martin Unger. 1415 
Northwest 62nd St.. Ft. Lauderdale. FL 33309. (305) 
772-3070. 
FOR SALE: BYTE: June through December 1976: $20: 
1977 through 1983: $30 per year, David Baldwin. 
22 Fox Den Rd.. Hollis. NH 03049. (603) 465-7857. 
FOR SALE: Mannesmann Tally MT 160 printer. Epson- 
compatible. 160 cps. has near-letter-quality mode. 
In fine working condition. Asking $200. Also. Apple 
80-column card: $25. Dave Schultz. 12801 Country- 
view Court. Burnsville. MN 5 5337. 
WANTED: EPROM copy, disk copy, source code, or 
hex dump of operating system for TLC Problem 
Solver Intelligent Terminal (TOS version 1.011 or 
later). Also schematics or other documentation. 
(PSS Inc. out of business in 1979.) Will provide TOS 
in 2732 for your terminal. Tim Vest. 4 Cambridge 
Rd.. Convent Station. NJ 07961. (201) 993-8541. 
WANTED: Correspondence about computers for 
solar and greenhouse applications. John Wilson. 
29001 Harvey Lane. Corvallis. OR 97330. 
FOR SALE: Hewlett-Packard 9816 personal computer. 
9121 two-drive unit. 82906A dot-matrix printer, and 
all manuals. Mint condition. W. M. Davidson. 4405 
West Pyracantha. Tucson. AZ 85741. (602) 742-3982. 
FOR SALE: Cromemco TVace System simulator Model 
TSS-S. $15. N. Conroy. 177 Tbsca Dr.. Stoughton. MA 
02072. (617) 344-1352. ■ 



JANUARY 1986 • BYTE 461 



BOMB 



BYTE's Ongoing Monitor Box 



ARTICLED PAGE ARTICLE AUTHOR(S) 

1 9 Microbytes staff 

2 37. 408 What's New staff 

3 44 Ask BYTE Ciarcia 

4 57 Book Reviews Clark. Price. 

Benderavage 

5 84 Product Description: 

The Atari 520ST Edwards. 

Robinson, 
Mclaughlin 

6 104 Ciarcia's Circuit Cellar: Build an 

Analog-to-Digital Converter Ciarcia 

7 120 Product Preview: Q & A Edwards 

8 130 Programming Project: 

A SIMPL Compiler. 

Part 2: Procedures and Functions . .Amsterdam 

9 14 5 Creating Reusable Modules Shammas 

10 153 Programming Insight: 

Easy 3-D Graphics Mittelbach 

11 161 Machine Vision Dunbar 

12 177 Robotic tactile Sensing Penny win 

13 203 Multiple Robotic Manipulators Hawker. Nagel. 

Roberts. Odrey 



ARTICLED PAGE ARTICLE AUTHOR(S) 

14 223 Autonomous Robot Navigation . . . .lorgensen. 

Hamel. 
Weisbin 

15 2 37 Al in Computer Vision Cuadrado, 

Cuadrado 

16 263 Automation in Organic Synthesis. . .Kramer. 

Fuchs 

17 293 Canon's A-200 Callamaras 

18 301 Color Fox Unger 

19 307 Eco-C88 C Compiler Clark 

20 319 Inside The Sider Hall 

21 327 Advantage! for the AT Byers 

22 331 Enable King 

23 349 Computing at Chaos Manor: 

One Minor Problem Pournelle 

24 371 According to Webster: 

Benchmarking Webster 

2 5 381 BYTE Japan: Favoring Kanji Raike 

26 387 BYTE U.K.: 

The Acorn RISC Machine Pountain 

27 397 Mathematical Recreations: 

Euclid's Algorithm Kurosaka 



BOMB Results 



SIMULATION TABULATION 

Lawrence Cone wins $100 for his article "Skycam; An Aerial Robotic 
Camera System," which placed first in the results of October's issue. In 
second place is the theme "Why Models Go Wrong" by lorn R. Houston. 



who wins $50. Part 2 of Clifford Kelley's "EGO: A Homebuilt CPU" 
covering "The Hardware" came in third. Steve Ciarcia. Bruce Webster, 
and Jerry Pournelle remain popular with readers. Hats off to all. 



BYTE ADVERTISING SALES STAFF: 






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Seavex Ltd. 


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Telex: RS35539 SEAVEX 





462 BYTE ■ JANUARY 1986 



READER SERVICE 



Inquiry No. 



Page No. 



398 1ST PLACE COMP. SYSTEMS. ... 1 54 

2 A-D ELECTRONICS 195 

3 A-OK SYSTEMS 428 

4 AST. RESEARCH 19 

5 A.ST RESEARCH 19 

6 AB COMPUTERS 254 

7 ACS INTL. INC 282 

8 ADDMASTER CORP. 426 

10 ADV. DIGITAL CORP 36 

11 ADV. DIGITAL CORP. 36 

12 ADVANCED COMP. PROD . 446, 447 

* ALF PRODUCTS. INC 432 

13 ALL COMPUTERS 316, 317 

14 ALPHA LOGIC BUSINESS SYS. . . 358 

15 AMDEK CORP. 56 

17 AMERICAN MICRO TECHNOLOGY 67 

18 AMERICAN SMALL BUSN.COMP. 267 

19 AMPERE INC 345 

20 AMPRO COMPUTERS INC 372 

21 AMPRO COMPUTERS INC 372 

22 APROTEK 194 

23 APROTEK 194 

24 APROTEK 452 

25 ARITY CORPORATION 126 

26 ASHTONTATE 12, 13 

* AT&T INFO. SYSTEMS 396 

* AT&T INTERNATIONAL 309 

27 ATRON CORP. 392 

28 AVOCET 324, 325 

30 B&B ELECTRONICS 434 

* B&C MICROSYSTEMS 374 

32 BASF SYSTEMS 96, 97 

33 BASIC TIME 79 

34 BAY TECHNICAL ASSOC 23 

35 BINARY TECHNOLOGY, INC 432 

36 BITTNER ELECTRONICS 426 

37 BLAISE COMPUTING INC 178 

38 BORLAND INTL Cll. I 

39 BORLAND INTL Cll. 1 

40 BORLAND INTL 39 

41 BORLAND INTL 39 

42 BORLAND INTL 41 

43 BORLAND INTL 41 

426 BUKOWSKI ROBOriCS 440 

44 BUSINESS TOOLS INC 269 

' BYTE BACK ISSUES 420 

* BYTE SUBSCRIBER MESSAGE ... 401 
' BYTE SUBSCRIBER SERVICE .... 399 

45 BYTE CONNECTION. THE .424 

46 BYTEK COMP. SYS. CORP. 256 

47 C WARE/DESMET C 430 

48 CI. COMPUTERS 356 

49 C.J COMPUTERS 356 

* CALIFORNIA DIGITAL 448, 449 

51 CAPITAL EOUIPMENT CORP. . . 305 

52 CAPITAL MICRO 436 

55 CAUZIN SYSTEMS 76, 77 

58 CHEETAHINTL. INC 123 

59 CHORUS DATA SYSTEMS 217 

61 CMS 279 

' 62 COGITATE 428 

63 COGITATE 452 

64 COMET TECHNOLOGICAL CO . . 432 

* COMMODORE BUSN MACH. ... 189 

65 COMMUNICATIONS ELECTR. ... 435 

66 COMPETITIVE EDGE 407 

68 COMPUDATA TRANSLATORS INC. 430 

69 COMPUMAIL 250 

373 COMPUPRO/VIASYN CORP. 367 

70 COMPUSAVE 424 

71 COMPUSERVE 239 

72 COMPUTER AFFAIRS INC 297 

73 COMPUTER BARN. THE 116 

74 COMPUTER BOOK CLUB. THE . , 129 

75 COMPUTER CONNECTION INC. . 423 

* COMPUTER CONTINUUM 434 

76 COMPUTER INNOVATIONS 363 

77 COMPUTER MAIL ORDER . . 220, 221 

78 COMPUTER MART 163 

79 COMPUTER PARTS MART 428 



Inquiry No. 



Page No. Inquiry No. 



81 COMPUTER SWAP AMERICA ... 375 

82 COMPUTER WAREHOUSE 179 

83 COMPUTER WAREHOUSE 179 

84 COMPUTERBANC 433 

86 COMPUTRADE . 398 

387 COMPUWORLD 219 

87 CONCORD TECHNOLOGY CO . . 379 

88 CONROY-LAPOINTE 52, 53 

89 CONROY-LAPOINTE 52. 53 

90 CONROY-LAPOINTE 52, 53 

91 CUESTA SYSTEMS .30 

92 CUSTOM COMP. TECH 420 

93 CUSTOM COMP. TECH 421 

94 CYMA CORPORATION 338 

95 CYMA CORPORATION 338 

96 CYMA CORPORATION 370 

97 CYMA CORPORATION 370 

98 D AND D DISCOUNT 441 

* DAK INDUSTRIES 315 

394 DATA EXCHANGE 452 

395 DATA EXCHANGE 454 

418 DATA SPEC 213 

419 DATA SPEC 213 

102 DIGITAL PRODUCTS INC 258 

103 DIGITAL RESEARCH INC 182 

104 DIGITALK 46 

106 DISK MERCHANT 383 

107 DISKETTE CONNECTION 407 

108 DISKS PLUS 252 

109 DISKWORLD!. INC 442. 443 

111 DIVERSIFIED COMPUTER SYS. . .430 
428 DIVERSIFIED GROUP 438. 439 

112 DOKAY COMP. PROD. INC 419 

1 1 3 DYNATEC SYSTEMS INC 398 

114 DYNAX. INC 191 

115 EARTH COMPUTERS 354 

116 EARTH COMPUTERS 354 

117 ECLIPSE SYSTEMS 430 

118 ECOSOFT 236 

119 EDUCATIONAL MICROCOMP. SYS. 452 

120 ELEXOR INC 428 

121 ELLIS COMPUTING INC 244 

422 EMERSON 199 

423 EMERSON 199 

407 ENERTEC INC 70 

343 ENGARDE 4 

124 ESSENTIAL SOFTWARE INC 32 

126 EVEREX SYSTEMS 43 

127 EVEREX SYSTEMS 43 

128 EXCELTEC INDUSTRIES. INC. ... 452 

129 EXPERTEACH 374 

130 EXPRESS MICRO SUPPLIES .... 275 

134 FLAGSTAFF ENGINEERING 209 

135 FLAGSTAFF ENGINEERING 209 

396 FORTRON. INC 437 

397 FORTRON. INC 437 

137 FOX AND GELLER. INC 384 

138 FOX SOFTWARE. INC 54 

139 FUNK SOFTWARE 143 

140 FUTURE COMPUTING/M-G I.S. . . 265 

144 GENOA SYSTEMS CORP. 72. 73 

145 GOLD HILL COMPUTERS 160 

146 GOLDEN BOW SYSTEMS 432 

147 GOLDEN BOW SYSTEMS 434 

148 GRAND UNION MICROSYSTEMS 434 

149 GTEK INC ...357 

150 H.E.I. INC 26 

152 HANZON DATA INC 30 

153 HARMONY VIDEO & COMP. .... 379 

200 HARRIS/LANIER 337 

201 HARRIS/LANIER 339 



Page No. 



202 HARRIS/LANIER 341 

154 HAYES MICROCOMPUTER PROD. . 27 

155 HERCULES COMPUTER TECH. . . 151 

156 HERCULES COMPUTER TECH. . 318 

• HEWLETT-PACKARD 333 

158 HEWLETT-PACKARD 335 

159 HOOLEON COMPANY 280 

160 HOOLEON COMPANY 280 

406 HOUSTON INSTR./BAUSCH&LOMB . 22 

161 HYMCO TECHNOLOGIES INC. . . 180 

162 IBEX COMP. CORP. 452 

163 IBM CORP. 286, 287 

408 IBS CORP. 24 

409 IBS CORP. 24 

166 IC. EXPRESS 432 

167 INFORMATION SOFTWARE 31 

168 INLAB INC 434 

169 INNOVATIVE PERIPHERALS 190 

425 INOVION 142 

170 INTECTRA INC 426 

171 INTEGRAND -308 

172 INTERCONTN. MICRO SYS 48 

173 INTERCONTN. MICRO SYS. ...... 48 

• INTERFACE TECH CORP. 187 

174 INTUSOFT -432 

175 IOMEGA 20, 21 

178 IADE COMP. PROD 450, 451 

179 IAMECO ELECTRONICS . . . 260, 261 

180 IC INFORMATION SYSTEMS 292 

181 |DR INSTRUMENTS 25 

182 IDR MICRODEVICES 455 

183 IDR MICRODEVICES 456, 457 

184 IDR MICRODEVICES 458, 459 

185 IDR MICRODEVICES 460 

186 IHL RESEARCH 452 

187 ]MC RESEARCH. INC 339 

189 IVB ELECTRONICS 440 

190 KADAK PRODUCTS LTD 452 

393 KEA SYSTEMS 440 

191 KEITHLEY DAC 432 

192 KEY SOLUTIONS CO 74 

193 KEY SOLUTIONS CO 74 

194 KIMTRON CORP. 361 

196 KYOCERA 215 

197 KYOCERA 215 

198 LABORATORY MICROSYS 62 

424 LACHMAN ASSOC 152 

199 LANG-ALLAN. INC 378 

200 LANIER HARRIS 337 

201 LANIER HARRIS 339 

202 LANIER HARRIS 341 

203 LATTICE. INC 355 

204 LAWSON LABS. INC .452 

206 LEVCO ENTERPRISES 252 

207 LEVCO ENTERPRISES 252 

208 LIFEBOAT ASSOC 341 

209 LIFEBOAT ASSOC 343 

210 LINTEK INC 383 

213 LOGICAL DEVICES 390, 391 

211 LOGICSOFT 176 

215 LOGITECH INC 251 

216 LOGITECH INC 253 

217 IjOMAS DATA PRODUCTS 169 

218 LYBEN COMP. SYS 426 

219 LYCO COMPUTER 205 

• MACMILLAN BOOK CLUBS 368. 369 

221 MAIN STREET COMPUTER ... 34, 35 

222 MANX SOFTWARE SYS 47 

223 MARK WILLIAMS CO. . . , 59 

224 MARK WILLIAMS CO. . . 61 

225 MARON PRODUCTION INC 432 



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Page No. 



226 MARYMAC INDUSTRIES INC. ... 428 

227 MASTERBYTE COMP. OF NY 393 

228 MAXELL DATA PRODUCTS 7 

229 MAYNARD ELECTRONICS 15 

* MCGRAW-HILL CEC 321 

141 MCGRAW-HILL INC 353 

230 MEGASOFT 430 

231 MEGATEL COMPUTER TECH.... 375 

232 MERRITT COMP. PRODUCTS .... 454 

233 MFI ENTERPRISES INC 231 

432 MICRO BUSINESS PROD 376 

433 MICRO BUSINESS PROD 376 

235 MICRO DATA BASE SYS 95 

415 MICRO DATA BASE SYS 323 

236 MICRO DESIGN INTL 313 

237 MICRO MART INC 64. 65 

238 MICRO PRODUCTS 453 

239 MICROCOMPUTER ACCESSORIES . 240 

240 MICROCOMPUTER ACCESSORIES . 240 

241 MICROGRAFX 17 

* MICROMINT INC 386 

242 MICROPHONICS TECHNOLOGY . . 60 

243 MICROPHONICS TECHNOLOGY . 192 

244 MICROPROCESSORS UNLTD 430 

' MICRORIM INC 394. 395 

245 MICROSHOP 425 

* MICROSOFT CORP 51 

* MICROSOFT CORP. 247 

* MICROSOFT CORP. 249 

* MICROSOFT CORP. . . INSERT 32A-H 

247 MICROSTUF. INC 281 

248 MICROWAY 141 

* MICROWAY 340 

123 MIDWEST COMP. & VIDEO SUPPLY 280 

250 MIMIC SYSTEMS 125 

251 MITAC 306 

* MIX SOFTWARE 229 

252 MONTEREY INTL. CORP. 70 

253 MOUNTAIN VIEW PRESS 212 

254 MTI SYSTEMS CORP. 322 

257 NANAO 127 

258 NANAO 127 

259 NANTUCKET 45 

260 NANTUCKET 45 

261 NATL. PUBLIC DOMAIN SFTW. . . 454 

* NATIONAL COMPUTER GRAPHIC 262 

262 NATIONAL INSTRUMENTS .... 167 

263 NATIONAL MEMORY SYSTEMS 211 

264 NEC HOME ELECTR. USA 326 

265 NEC INFORMATION SYS CIU 

417 NETWORK TECHNOLOGIES 156, 157 

' NEWSNET INC .16 

267 NORTH HILLS CORP. 376 

* NRI SCHOOLS ELECTR. DIV. .... 257 

268 ORCHID TECHNOLOGY .255 

269 ORION INSTRUMENTS. 201 

271 PC. HORIZONS. INC 428 

272 PACIFIC EXCHANGES 440 

273 PC NETWORK 80, 81 

67 PC SOURCE 285 

274 PC TECH 377 

275 PC USA 422 

276 PCS LIMITED 242 

277 PCS LIMITED 364. 365 

278 PECAN 66 

279 PERMA POWER ELECTRONICS. . 343 

430 PERSOFT INC.. 8 

431 PERSOFT INC 8 

281 PHOENIX COMP. PROD CORP. ... 147 

282 PLUS DEVELOP. CORP 101, 102, 103 

284 PRACTICORP 69 

285 PRECISION DATA PRODUCTS ... 432 

286 PRICE-LINE COMPUTERS INC. . . 359 

287 PRINCETON GRAPHIC SYS 139 

288 PRINCETON GRAPHIC SYS 300 

420 PRINTER ACCESSORIES DIRECT. 377 

289 PRIORITY ONE 429 

290 PRO CODE INTERNATIONAL ... 350 

291 PROGRAMMER'S SHOP 348 

292 PROGRESSIVE MICRO DISfR. 174. 175 



JANUARY 1986 • BYTE 463 



READER SERVICE 



Inquiry No. 



Page No. 



429 PURPLE COMPUTING 454 

414 ODP COMPUTER SYS 294 

295 OIC RESEARCH 264 

296 OUA TECH. INC 426 

297 OUA TECH. INC 426 

298 OUA TECH. INC 426 

• OUAID SOFTWARE LTD 382 

299 OUALITY PRINTERS 434 

302 OUANTUM SOFTWARE SYS. .... 380 

303 RADIO SHACK CIV 

304 RADIO SHACK . . II 

305 RAIMA CORP. 385 

306 RED RIVER TECHNOLOGY INC. ... 55 

307 RELATIONAL DATABASE SYS. . . .270 

308 RELMS 140 

309 ROBOT EXPERIMENTER 430 

310 ROSE ELECTRONICS 434 

311 S&K TECHNOLOGY INC 426 

312 S'NW ELECT. & APPL 337 

313 S-100 DIV. 696 CORP. 444, 445 

314 S-100 DIV. 696 CORP. 444. 445 

315 SAB-LINK, INC 426 

316 SAFEWARE 428 

325 SALT 378 

317 SAMSUNG ELECT. DEVICES .... 210 

399 SBT CORPORATION 259 

400 SBT CORPORATION 259 

319 SCOTTSDALE SYSTEMS 427 

320 SEMIDISK SYSTEMS 146 

321 SILICON SPECIALTIES 75 



Inquiry No. 



Page No. | Inquiry No. 



322 SILICON SPECIALTIES 75 

323 SLICER COMPUTERS INC 94 

324 SLICER COMPUTERS INC 94 

* SOFTCRAFT. INC 18 

327 SOFTKLONE DISTRIBUTING .... 149 
' SOFTLINE CORP. 71 

328 SOFTRONICS 434 

329 SOFTWARE CHANNELS INC 271 

330 SOFTWARE LINK. THE 135 

331 SOFTWARE SOLUTIONS INC. 298. 299 

412 SOLUTION SYSTEMS 352 

413 SOLUTION SYSTEMS 352 

335 SPECTRUM SOFTWARE 165 

* SPERRYCOMP. SYS 133 

336 SPSS 207 

337 STARBUCK DATA CO 440 

338 STATSOFT 181 

339 STSC INC. . 93 

340 STSC INC -336 

341 SUMMIT SOFrWARE TECHN. INC. 183 

342 SUNTRONICS CO. INC 422 

' SYSGEN INC 290 

344 SYSTEMS MANAGEMENT ASSOC. 208 

345 SYSTEMS MANAGEMENT ASSOC 277 

346 SYSTEMS MANAGEMENT ASSOC. 256 
427 TATUM LABS 440 

404 TAXAN CORP. 91 

405 TAXAN CORP 91 

348 TEAC 197 

349 TECH PC 218 



Page No. 



350 TECH PC 218 

351 TEKTRONIX INC 329 

352 THOMSON CONSUMER PROD . . . 63 

353 TIGERTRONICS INC 440 

' TINNEY. ROBERT GRAPHICS .... 405 

354 TLM SYSTEMS INC 241 

355 TLM SYSTEMS INC 243 

356 TLM SYSTEMS INC 245 

357 TOPAZ. INC 202 

358 TOPAZ. INC 202 

360 10SHIBA AMERICA INC . 388. 389 

361 TRANSEC SYSTEMS, INC 198 

363 TRUE BASIC 225 

364 TURBOPOWER SOFTWARE 360 

365 U.S. ROBOTICS 373 

366 UNICORN ELECTRONICS 430 

367 UNIFIED SOFTWARE SYS. 440 

368 UNIVERSAL CROSS-ASSEMBLERS 430 

369 VEN-TEL INC 28, 29 

410 VERTEX SYSTEMS . 342 

411 VERTEX SYSTEMS 342 

371 VIA WEST 216 

372 VIA WEST 216 

* VLM COMPUTER ELECTR 440 

375 VOTRAX. INC 144 

376 WALLING CO 428 

378 WAREHOUSE DATA PRODUCTS . 227 

379 WEDGE TECHNOLOGY INC 434 

380 WERSI ELECTRONICS 50 

381 WESTERN COMPUTER 58 



Inquiry No. 



Page No. 



382 WESTERN COMPUTER 58 

383 WHOLESALE OUTLET. THE 68 

188 WILEY PROFESSIONAL SFTW. . . 222 

384 WINTEK CORP 5 

385 WINTEK CORP. 428 

403 WORLDWIDE ACCESS ......... 431 

386 WRITING CONSULTANTS 128 

388 WYSE TECHNOLOGY 330 

389 X-10 USA. INC 351 

390 XEROX CORP. 117, 118. 119 

401 Z-SOFT CORPORATION 49 

402 Z-SOFT CORPORATION 49 

* Correspond directly wilh company. 



INTERNATIONAL ADVERTISING SECTION 

500 AMERICAN BUYING & EXPORT 
SERVICES 144C 

* BYTE 144A, 144D 

501 CASIO I44H 

502 CITIZEN PRINTERS 144E 

503 DELIN INFORMATICA 144B 

504 FIGURE FLOW LTD 144B 

505 GREY MATTER 144B 

506 WINTECH CORP I44B 



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2. 


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7. D □ □ ffl ffl 


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8. D D D ffl ffl 


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Name 

(Title) _ 



JANUARY 1986 
4116 



.(Company). 



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441 463 485 

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613 635 657 


614 636658 


615 637 659 


616 638 660 



id. computer store, or bookstore 


661 683 


705 727 749 


771 793 


662 684 706 728 750 


772 794 


663685 707 729 751 


773 795 


664 686 708 730 752 


774 796 


665 687 709 731 753 


775 797 


666 688 


710 732 754 


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711 733 755 


777 799 


668 690 


712 734 756 


778 800 


669 691 


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670 692 


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715 737 759 


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672 694 


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717 739 761 


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674 696 


718 740 762 


784 806 


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785 807 


676 698 


720 742 764 


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721 743 765 


787 809 


678 700 722 744 766 


788 810 


679 701 


723 745 767 


789 811 


680 702 


724 746 768 


790 812 


681 703 


725 747 769 


791 813 


682 704 726 748 770 


792 814 



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63 


67 


71 


75 


79 


83 


87 


91 


95 


99 


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4 


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12 


16 


20 


24 


28 


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36 


40 


44 


48 


52 


56 


60 


64 


68 


72 


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80 


84 


88 


92 


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100 


Article No. 


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101 


105 


109 


113 


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137 


141 


145 


149 


153 


157 


161 


165 


169 


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142 


146 


150 


154 


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115 


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143 


147 


151 


155 


159 


163 


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104 


108 


112 


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THIS NEC PRINTER CAN 
MANUFACTURE 2 MILLION 




Color Pin writer CP5 dot matrix printer, 



To build 2 million of these cars requires printing more than 25 billion dots. And that's how 
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This NEC printer is not an exception. In fact, any NEC printer can run an average of 
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Such reliability doesn't come easy. Every NEC printer is built on a highly automated 
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Reliability is not the only thing this NEC printer has going. It's also the quietest dot 
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Check out a new Pin writer P5 at your nearest NEC dealer. Or for more information, 
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NEC PRINTERS.THEY ONLY STOP WHEN YOU WANT THEM TO 



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NEC Information Systems, Inc. 

Inquiry 265 



■Ja&j/F' 






Next to your computer, 





nothing beats 
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Tandy printers make fine print quality, 
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Triple-Mode Personal Printer 

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Available at over 1500 

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COMPUTER CENTERS 



A DIVISION OF TANDY CORPORATION 

Inquiry 303 



Prints in four character styles: standard or italic cur- 
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Budget-Priced High Performer 

The DMP 105 (26-1276, $199.95) is the low-cost 
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Dot-Matrix Power for Business 

Get high speed and high performance with the 
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That's faster than most daisy- 
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*D.Y1P 105 requires optional-extra IBM Printer Emulator (700-21 18, $29.95) for IBM compatibility. Prices apply at Kadio Sluick Computer Centers and at 
participating stores and dealer;;. IBM/Kcgistered TM International Business Machines Corp.